Meal: Dinner, eat in
All Ratings out of 10:
Quality of food: 9
Food to Spend Value: 9
Quality of Service: 9
Overall Rating: 9
When in New England, you must eat Italian. That's what I tell myself all the time since I am such a snob when it comes to Italian food and have difficulty finding good Italian in the Pacific NW. I wanted to try some place new and discovered Tutto Bene in Brockton. We decided to have an adults dinner and see how good it really was.
The restaurant is in a strip mall, making it look pretty nondescript from the outside. Inside, though, it is quite cute with very nice décor, and it is much larger than expected. We had reservations for a Friday night and were seated immediately upon arrival.
I had read about the Lemon Ice cocktail and had to try it, and there was also an Italian Breeze ordered. The Lemon Ice had citrus vodka and creamy lemoncello and pretty much tasted like I was drinking a boozy dessert. It had a creamy lemon flavor that was extremely smooth and was downright delicious. The Italian Breeze had a bit more of an assuming look and feel to it, consisting of rum, Amaretto, and pineapple and cranberry juices. It was also smooth and had a stronger flavor than the Lemon Ice. Both cocktails were fabulous.
I normally don't say too much about complimentary bread, but Tutto Bene's is worth talking about. The bread was served warm and was light and soft with a crispy crust, but the real talking point is the dip they served. Most Italian places will provide olive oil with either vinegar or just ground pepper. The dip here consisted of olive oil and a pureed white bean sauce that was almost hummus-like. It was so delicious on the bread that I ended up eating way more bread than I planned. It was definitely a delicious start!
We ordered two appetizers for the table--Tutto Benne Hot and Sticky Balls (let the jokes begin!) and the Wrapped Asparagus--and I ordered one for myself: a single Baked Eggplant Rolotini. Getting past the many inappropriate jokes that come to mind due to the name (you know you were!), the Hot and Sticky Balls were amazing. The balls themselves are house made meatballs, and they are baked in a sauce consisting of balsamic, honey, and espresso. They were kind of like a different take on Swedish meatballs and were absolutely delicious. The Wrapped Asparagus came with three asparagus spears wrapped with cheese, roasted peppers, sopresata and then baked with lemon. They were also quite delicious.
But what stole the appetizer show was the Eggplant Rolotini. The other apps were delicious, but the party didn't officially start in my mouth until this crossed the threshold. Imagine a large crepe, perhaps like a much larger cannelloni, stuffed with perfect texture eggplant and herbed ricotta, and then topped with lots of melted cheese and tomato basil sauce. It was a taste of Heaven, and I could have eaten several more and called that dinner. If you get one thing here, you must get this.
Dinner was already amazing, and I wasn't even to the main course yet. I was having trouble deciding between the Baked Pasta Bolognese and one of the specials, the Veal Bracciole. Someone else wanted the Bolognese and promised to share, so I ordered the Veal. The Bracciole was divine: two veal filets stuffed and rolled with romano, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, pancetta, and sopresata, and then braised with a herbed tomato sauce. It was served with house made ricotta-filled gnocchi. Yummy, delicious, tantalizing, taste buds boogying and break dancing...this is what happened as I ate this. It was perfectly prepared and utterly delicious.
Not to be left out, the Bolognese was also divine. House made pappardelle pasta, a scrumptious meat sauce with veal, pork, and diced veggies, and then topped with beschamel and served like a mini casserole. It kind of reminded me of a baked ziti or a non-dense lasagna, but the flavor was just out of this world. It is simply fabulous and is a must order.
All of this food, and now it was dessert time? And yet I had seen the Deconstructed Cannoli since I sat down and just knew I had to have one. Imagine a cannoli with its insides in a bowl, and its outsides formed into chips for dipping. That is the essence of what this was, and it was perfect. Smooth, rich creamy, with the right crisp in the chips. It was the perfect way to end dinner.
Great ambiance, amazing menu, super high quality food, great portions, and great service too! I want to give a special call out to our server Jana who was amazing and extremely helpful. I was super happy we made our way to Brockton to eat at Tutto Bene, and you should definitely make your way there too, unless, of course, you are not a fan of party time for your taste buds. I am happy to find another great Italian option in the Boston area that is off the beaten path. read more