“I loved Agrodolce when I ate there alone; liked it slightly less

1/13

A cauliflower soup, scribbled with a brawny black olive vinaigrette, was thicker than its vegan profile would suggest. But like a gangster pummeling a rival who refuses to give up information, the kitchen had smacked the soup with so much salt in hopes of extracting flavor that it ultimately incapacitated the vulnerable vegetable.

2/13

From the vantage point of a table set with drinks and a few slices of rustic housemade focaccia, yeasty and more wholesome-tasting than the typical dense focaccia, it seems impossible for the evening to go awry.

3/13

Order the rich house-cured pork loin, its fattiness cut by chili-flecked olive oil and age offset by twirls of fresh fennel.

4/13

A folksy cacciatora with strands of roasted rabbit.

5/13

All of the pastas are made in house, though, including a pleasant ricotta ravioli garnished with black truffle butter.

6/13

A spunky arugula salad dressed with blood orange segments and ricotta salata should also keep spirits up.

7/13

Dinner should surely end with the rice pudding fritters, which magically combine the brilliance of pudding and doughnuts. Painted with citrus honey, the dessert is even more persuasive than Spanish scientists in making the case for eating more rice.

8/13

Fortunately for diners who get thirsty, general manager Aaron Robinson has assembled an excellent cocktail list, populated with drinks which don't attempt to overpower the food.

9/13

The Curveball, made with bourbon, rum, amaro and lemon pink-peppercorn bitters, is a sophisticated and alluringly viscous alternative to a Manhattan, while the Old Aquaintance aE“ built on a base of scotch and averna aE“ has an Old World warmth.

10/13

Agrodolce may be a restaurant best enjoyed without much company. I loved Agrodolce when I ate there alone; liked it slightly less when I returned with a companion and found myself repeatedly apologizing when I dragged three friends there. I suspect that's because the food isn't engineered to wow on first bite, so the pass-and-play style of eating falls flat. Most of the dishes are fairly elemental, which is rough on diners looking for culinary conversation starters, but ideal if you're wanting to string together a coherent four-course order with drinks to match.

11/13

The confident service contributes to the urbane feel of the handsome room, fronted by white casement windows which reach to the ceiling. In the room's main section, the lighting's dim enough for romance or frank conversation aE“ Agrodolce's a ringer for the backdrop restaurants in movies chronicling the failing marriage of inexplicably wealthy artists or college profs aE“ but not so dark that a solo diner can't bring a book.