Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 2/5/18

From octopus to lamb pasta and arugula salad, brussels sprouts to wagyu flank steak, Allora is a diverse new Italian concept from our friends Concentrics Restaurants. The restaurant is nestled down in a cozy building on the corner of Atlantic Station and 17th. The décor was also cozy and warm with low lighting and a stunning wood bar, but of course, the star of the show was the food! Let’s take a walk through the menu together.

Of the starters, we tried the arugula salad, brussels sprouts, and the octopus. Brussels sprouts are of our favorite foods, but we have to admit we enjoyed the balance of the delicious arugula salad more with the right amount of peppery lettuce, grapes and balsamic for sweetness, and topped with radish. Sacrilege, I know. The brussels sprouts were delicious in their own right, being perfectly cooked and topped with hazelnut and balsamic sweetness to cut through the sprout’s tartness. Finally, the octopus. We’ve never had octopus before and this didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed its almost crab-like sweetness and much meatier texture than expected. We’re a fan.

We only had one pasta and it was our favorite dish of the night. The Lamb Pappardelle had some of the best marinated lamb we’ve had in recent memory. It was like a wild, savory pot roast entangled with mushroom and wilted kale that gave it a much needed texture and crunch. Then, the pappardelle thick pasta was cooked al dente to round out the dish. We haven’t stopped thinking about it since Friday!

Finally, we come to the main course where we had the wagyu beef with a hazelnut salsa and the Roasted Branzini. You can’t go wrong with steak! Right? The perfectly cooked wagyu flank steak was smooth and tender with great flavor. The hazelnut salsa added a pesto-like quality, but with a sweet and nutty flavor that really off-set the savory of the steak. All worked well together. As for the Branzini, it was charred on the skin side with broccoli and vegetable mixture combined with oil on top. The fish was flaky and slightly sweet. Let’s not forget they left the tail on for a gorgeous presentation.

We’d also like to mention that we were impressed with the variety in both style and price of the wine menu, as well as the stellar wait staff that gave 100%! Kudos to them! If you go down to Allora, bring your appetite, you’re going to need it.