Sogno Di Vino

It's become a bit of a tradition with me and my husband that when one of us gets paid and it happens to be a Friday, we treat the other to dinner. In recent weeks, this has meant a pitcher of Whoop Pass and some delicious pizza or burgers at Silver City Brewery. Don't get me wrong, I love going there, and pretty much everything they serve is a home run, but this week I felt the need to spice things up a bit.

Poulsbo is somewhat of an untapped market for us in terms of restaurant experiences, so I did a little research and was very excited to find a place that referred to itself as a "wine bar and ristorante", Sogno Di Vino.

This Italian restaurant is located in downtown Poulsbo, on Front Street. It boasts an outdoor seating area beneath strands of twinkling lights, but we chose to sit indoors so we could enjoy each other's conversation more easily (everyone and their mother was sitting outside enjoying the mild weather). The atmosphere indoors was rustic and peaceful. Brick reds and wooden browns bathed in soft yellow light give this place a warm, romantic feeling - perfect for a date night!

Alright, enough about what it looks like - on to the good part - the food and drink!

First, and most importantly, we chose a wine. Since this was an Italian restaurant, it was only fitting that we would drink an Italian wine. To that end, we ended up choosing Remole Toscana, a red blend consisting mostly of Sangiovese, a spicy red grape. It was described on the menu as "rustic and earthy". We both enjoyed it quite a bit, it was dry but not as dry as a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Pinot Noir, and it had a slightly sweet, fruity finish.

We were quite pleased when they brought us some freshly-baked focaccia bread to nibble on while we waited for our meal. I think every restaurant should do something like this, it really makes a big difference. When you're paying over $50 for a meal, those differences go a long way.

For dinner, Adam had lamb shank braised with orange and rosemary, which was served with mint-pistachio pesto, polenta and caponata. Of course, I sampled every part of his meal for the cause. Wow. I saw the lamb shank fall right off the bone the moment Adam touched it with his fork, and the flavor was amazing. I have to remember to pick up some rosemary the next time I'm at the store. Good lord it was good. The side dishes were all delicious as well, especially the caponata. I can't really even describe it but it contained olives and peppers and it was served warm - amazing.

I started my meal with a salad containing beets, strawberries, feta cheese and pecans. Yum! For my main entree I chose the Prawn Linguine. Oh boy. This dish consisted of big, meaty tiger prawns tossed with linguine and a tomato, white wine, and cream sauce. It was rich without being overwhelming, and I ate every last bite.

Although it was very tempting, we decided to skip dessert on account of our full bellies and the prospect of getting a more cost-efficient dessert at the nearby Central Market. However, I believe a pistachio creme brulee was mentioned. I think I'll need to go back for that sometime.

Clearly, this restaurant gets my stamp of approval. If I had to complain, I would say the prices are a little steep, but the food was so good that this wouldn't be a fair gripe. I had also looked at the menu ahead of time so I knew what we were getting into.

Buon appetito!