Sorella — Restaurant in Newport

On my 'visit' list for a bit, I finally got the chance to pop over last week. It's a cozy space, a mixture of tables, booths & bar seating. I arrived before it got busy, so there was no wait. Settling in at the bar, the first thing I noticed was the shortness of the bar stools--I'm a tall guy [193cm]--so I stood to eat, not a deal breaker, but had I been tromping hither and yon the bulk of the day, it would have been. The menu presented to me looked great, the separate drink menu was expansive, with a mix of wines by the glass, n/a mixed drinks, house specialties & a breakdown of spirit offerings. Staff at the bar [and in general from what I observed] was attentive, taking time to answer questions and provide recommendations--amicable in general. I never felt rushed. While the bar program and staff were standouts, the food was [mostly] not. Bubbly in hand, I started my meal with the zucchini fritters--well presented, devoid of taste...I'd expected a hint of nutmeg, perhaps a burst of red pepper, anything, give me anything...even the accompanying sauce lacked direction, as though someone had remembered to add what they thought might be citrus juice. Next up, Pizza capricciosa; again, visually appealing, again, underwhelming. First, the crust: I'm not sure how I'd describe it--it's like someone from Dove Vivi and somebody from Abby's had a fling in the mid 90s after a Courtney Love concert and decided that this was crust... Second, the sauce: somewhere up above, a reviewer stated their sauce 'resembled Ragu'; sadly not even that on my pie. I'd wager someone simply opened a can labeled "Sodium-free Crushed Tomatoes", stuck an immersion blender in for 20 seconds to really get things uniform, then used the back of a ladle to wash the crust. The toppings on my pie were generous and well distributed [the prosciutto would have benefitted from a different cut, given the rigidity of the crust], nice looking, but tastebuds are blind. Finally, Tiramisu to round things out--this was the star of the meal--sweet, but not overly so, with coffee undertones to cut the richness of the dairy. Sorella must have their desserts made out of house, if not, they should consider letting their pastry chef have a crack with the flavors [or lack thereof] that run the rest of the menu. Moral of the story: grab a glass of Nebbiolo to sip on while they pack up a slab of tiramisu for take away; just don't forget a spoon--or a...

I'm not sure if our group went on an off night, but our experience was subpar at best. Terribly slow service (approximately 45 minutes between course 2 and 3), mediocre food, and way overpriced everything. We went on the NYE tasting menu night, arrived slightly after 5 and somehow they were already out of lamb (one item that our group was most looking forward to). The substitute was bolognese which looked like hamburger helper that had been left out over night. I did not eat this but my husband said he had hamburger helper that tasted better than this dish. Undercooked pasta. Bland flavors. Menu online stated chantrelles would be in the one dish but that piece of the menu changed as well without any communication of the change. Rude service all through our dining experience. Apologized for slow service but did not offer any way to remedy the situation. We did not get done with the meal until 730/8 because the service was so slow. We ordered as quickly as the server allowed us to, but things were off. Food also made me violently ill which is the first time this has ever happened to me eating out. My stomach is still upset. Probably the worst dining experience I've ever had. I would not recommend. Save your money and go anywhere else.

UPDATE: After getting insane food poisoning from this restaurant, my stomach has not been the same. I went to the doctor after months of my stomach not being right after this incident and my doctors best guess is that I got post-infection IBS from my experience here. I have never had food sensitivities before eating at Sorella, but now I cannot tolerate any high FODMAPs food (such as onion, garlic, and gluten to name a few of my main triggers). Really sucks that the already horrible experience continues to haunt me with these new issues that impact every aspect of my life. 2024 has been a challenge due to this NYE dinner experience and being so limited in what I...

Ok , this place has SO MUCH POTENTIAL! With 3 easy changes it would have been quite the experience!

1: the lighting is awful , when you think of Italian you think of warm, cozy, inviting, comfort . Get rid of this white light , it’s sterile, cold , just not comfortable. Use warmer bulbs in your strip lights, match the hanging bulbs light temperature and it will change the entire vibe.

2 : Play Italian music. It seems cliche’, but it’s now the opposite. Every restaurant now is some fusion that plays the same modern , non themed , background playlist. It doesn’t add to the uniqueness of experience, it just seems like a huge missed opportunity. When you get Italian you want to feel like you went to Italian. Louis Prima pandora is fantastic, leaning into the theme is the exception to the rule now not the cliche’, and it was sorely missed on our visit.

Finally, 3: If this isn’t a sports bar , why do we have a tv blaring at us? When I go out to spend good money on good food and drink (which you definitely provide) I want to be present in the experience. TV’s aren’t just an “option if you are interested” sort of fixture. The human brain is wired to fixate on movement and bright light. When you put a tv in a restaurant it actively pulls the attention of everyone facing it. It introduces immersion breaking, often chaotic fast paced light fluctuations which attract attention and detract from calm, warm and relaxed vibes of eating and conversing with friends and family. This is the entire point of going out to eat. I don’t want a tv dinner, I want an immersive, unique experience. This is what brings people back next time. To be present in the moment with the food, ambiance, drink and people that enhance life is the whole point of dining out. And TV’s ruin that experience by stealing your attention.

I mean this review in good faith I hope this honest review...