Etto

I’m shocked that Etto doesn’t have at least a four star rating. The restaurant is top-​notch: friendly and attentive service, great bread and olive oil, solid margherita pizza, and daily Italian tapas. Comparatively, it’s really not that expensive and if you’re looking for a laid-​back, quite meal, Etto is a perfect choice.
I was a big fan of the tapas they offered, or what they refer to as on the counter. When you walk in, you’ll see a bunch of different items on the bar counter that change daily and from my experience, are pretty awesome. The two I had were the eggplant parmesan and the cauliflower salad.
I’m not a big eggplant parm guy but this one was absurdly good: cooked in its own individual skillet, the sauce, melted cheese, and even the eggplant itself were pretty much perfect. The cauliflower dish was a bit on the oily side but was still light while cauliflower had a lovely crispness and golden hue to it. Both are solid choices for sharing but if between the two, I’d go with the eggplant parm.

Great service, ok food.
First, service is fantastic. Our server checked on us quite often (but not annoyingly so), was very knowledgeable about the menu and drinks selection and made sure our water was always filled. No complaints at all about the friendly folks working the front of the house at Etto.
The food however is mediocre. The menu is a little anemic and a confused (hence the questions to the server). There are pizzas, small plates, fresh cheese (only fresh ricotta) and charcuterie. Except for the pizza, the menu is just a list of appetizers with nothing that’s really substantial enough to anchor a round of tapas. The pork belly was literally just a small piece of belly on bland coleslaw. Cauliflower with onions, tomatoes and pine nuts was sauteed, but could have been way better if the onions were caramelized more. Fresh cheese was great, but the measly drizzle of pinecone syrup was really just an afterthought. The pizza crust was burned.
I probably won’t be back to Etto. The dinner was not terrible, but nothing that would compel me to try them again.