Via del Corso

La Dolce Vigna Wine and Culture Travel

What an incredible Italian restaurant! Super authentic dishes, fabulous service, and fun atmosphere! (Was too busy enjoying other courses, but finally took a photo of dessert!)

Jeff Levy (Nitrous)

A bit noisy, so conversation needed to have volume up. Menu was a bit limited, and portions a little small for price, but everything tasted good. Waiter was very attentive and dinner was pleasant. I will probably be back.

P. I.

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and in that regard I must enter my guilty plea here. Having lived only two blocks away from this gem, and traveling a lot, I had always heard that they made a truly epic Bistec Fiorentina here, but I always put it in the back of my mind in the "oh yeah. I'll get around to that one day" Category. Well, that day was today. The staff here. Marco, Vito, Claudia, Chef Massimo, and the Chief chef Peter, are warm and engaging people, even before you've ordered anything. I did a little reconnaissance on this place a couple of nights before, just to see if it would be the right place to bring my bestie for a celebration dinner. While many places in the East Bay present a fusion version of Italian cuisine, (My absolute favorite is Italian colors in Montclair), not that many actually lay out a traditional Italian table, in a way that can impress both a food critic and a hungry traveler. I am both. And the results, were nothing short of phenomenal. I've eaten steak around the United States and in several other countries, found myself unimpressed with Peter Luger in New York, and many of the other places I ate on the East Coast, but now, the Bistec Fiorentina, Corso's 45-day, dry aged porterhouse, (From the famed Painted Hills ranch, located in the Cottonwood Creek area of Oregon) is the answer to every steak prayer I have ever had. With a perfect, barely noticeable layer of char, and a natural salinity that comes from perfect breeding and a great diet, this steak melted like butter in my mouth, seated on a bed of arugula, and really required nothing else, other than a great deal of restraint on my part to not tear it apart with my fingers, in front of what I am sure would have been shocked bystanders. Luckily, I was able to maintain my excitement, but not my amazement as every bite became more complex, and better. I'll keep it simple here. This is the steak to try in the East Bay, period. My best friend ordered the Pollo Al Burro Alla Sostanza, a Butter-roasted schmitz ranch chicken breast, with lemon, and her and I both marveled at that delicious chicken fond, those little crispy bits of salty chicken flavor in the pan, that they somehow managed to incorporate into the butter sauce in a way unlike any other I've had before. This too was super tender, but with a perfect firm consistency. I elected to bribe the Chef at some point to teach me how to make this. Note to self. The Little gem lettuce with anchovy and a light vinaigrette, was deconstructed and then layered in a way that made it easy to eat and was a nice compliment to our protein rich meal. Of note, here, is the bar with an incredibly well stocked selection of liquors, but moreover a very well thought out, and well executed drink list. I ordered a tequila Cicero's choice. (Try it) For dessert, I chose a simple vanilla gelato, since for me, that is the test of a good dessert selection, the simplest thing they have. It did not disappoint. My friend. Ordered the orange and olive oil rosemary cake, over an incredible fractal design of chocolate sauce, and a single mint leaf, and we were as blown away by the chocolate complexity of the sauce as we were by the perfect spongy density sweetness, and rosemary and orange overtones of the cake. After our meal, both Massimo, the chef in the kitchen tonight, and Peter, the executive chef, were friendly and talkative, and just all around great people, the kind of great people that make great food, and make no mistake, it requires great people to make great food. This was a special event for me tonight, and Via Del Corso knocked it out of the park, and over the Atlantic, and into the rustic Trattorias of Italy, with a thoroughly authentic and complete Italian dining experience, right here two blocks from my house. Who knew? ( Everyone but me, obviously) My hat is off to the staff. Thank you for a wonderful night! Piero Infante

Premi John

Most excellent service, delicious food and the best cocktail - Cicero’s Choice. Mine was made with Mezcal, but those of our party who had it with vodka and with gin both loved theirs too. Desserts (see image) were Panna Cotta al Pistachio and the Budino di Cioccolato.