Pomodoro Ristorante
2366 Eastlake Ave E, 324-3160
Sun-Thurs 5:30 pm- midnight, Fri-Sat 5 pm-2 am.
Pomodoro is tucked under the skirt of a big modern office building on Eastlake Avenue East, but step through the door and the aromas and ambience take you straight to Southern Europe. The menu is divided in two: Spanish tapas on the left and Italian pastas on the right, and my dining entourage veered toward Italy. Inspired by the restaurant’s name, we started with a giant slab of beefsteak tomato ($6.50) dressed in balsamic vinegar and topped with a confetti of basil and fresh mozzarella–an appetizer ample enough for three to share.
When it came time to order entrées, my finicky brother put the kitchen to the test by specifying his dinner-sized caesar salad (topped with seasoned chicken breast, $11.95) be lightly dressed–he hates to see romaine suffocating under a thick coat of rich dressing–and was delighted when his salad arrived green and sparkling with a perfectly moderate amount of caesar zing and zest.
I recently discovered potato- flour gnocchi (at Big John’s Pacific Food Importers; if you love Italian food and haven’t been there yet, drop everything and go now: 1001 Sixth Ave S) and since have been a little obsessed, so I was thrilled to find them on the menu amid the pastas. As I ordered, I silently thanked my sophisticated friend who had just the week before taught me to say “NYOH-kee,” and I forgave the waitress when she responded with, “The noCHAY? Okay. ”
Gnocchi (Italian for “dumplings”) are hand-rolled little footballs of boiled dough. Pomodoro’s were perfect: wee, dimpled, more tender than chewy, and joined by beer-boiled fennel sausage and mushrooms in a chunky tomato sauce ($12.95).
My husband chose well (Ravioli Specialle, $14.95) and was rewarded with a pretty plate of smoked-salmon-filled pasta pillows bathed in creamy marinara sauce and garnished with basil. The salty salmon and sweet tomato sauce danced beautifully together.
More good things: There’s free parking next to the restaurant after 6:00 p.m. and the kitchen serves until midnight weeknights and 2:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.