Uncle Dom’s Italian Kitchen
Restaurateur Travis Rosenthal took over the massive space on Pine and Summit that used to house Mezcaleria Oaxaca and has turned it into a combination rooftop bar/smash burger window/tapas spot/Italian restaurant. Uncle Dom’s, headed by former Vito’s chef Michael Crossley, is probably the headliner of the bunch. The vibe is new-wave Italian-American, more based AJ Soprano than Tony Soprano — the space is lit up by a massive UNCLE DOM’s neon light — but the menu pretty much just does the classics. Bread, garlic, olive oil, a hearty and meaty bolognese. It’s the three-chord power pop version of Italian cuisine, and it works. Note that because Uncle Dom’s shares the kitchen with Bar Tango, a revival of the old Tango Restaurant and Lounge, you can order off both menus — try the El Diablo, a classic Tango dessert that consists of a massive cube of dark chocolate surrounded by a ring of meringue that’s dusted with cayenne pepper. It’s spicy, rich, and definitely enough for two.
Kristopher Shinn