86 Peterborough St, Boston; (617) 424-7070
Part of the hip renaissance in the Fenway, Sorento’s is a warm, cozy upscale pasta and pizza spot. Its prices nudge up against Mine’s limits, but you get good, hearty portions of delicious food.
Baked in a brick oven, the pizzas and calzones smell fabulous the minute you walk in. Pizzas start at $7.70 for a basic cheese; the large size is $9.90. Toppings are 900 each, with all the yuppie faves. Special pies include melanzana, with fried eggplant tomato sauce, and romano and mozzarella cheeses. Napoli, their version of the works, has mushrooms, roasted pepper, prosciutto, and chicken pesto.
Out of nearly twenty different pasta dishes, most fall in the $9 to $11 range. These include rigatoni with broccoli and chicken, linguine carbonara, pasta primavera, or Chicken a l’Abruzzi chicken breast pate sauteed in olive oil with spinach. It’s served with a basil cream sauce, over a bed of capellini, all for $10.95.
The atmosphere is casual and pleasant with a black-and-white tile floor, natural wood chairs, and an open kitchen. Could just as easily be Soho. Open from 11 a.m. to midnight, seven days.