MiniBite: Bottega Fiorentina

...in which we epically battled for a seat!

Ok, it wasn't quite epic, but seating is a bit tricky.


Bottega Fiorentina is an adorable Italian food store and takeout restaurant in Coolidge Corner that has a tiny bit of seating should you choose to eat there. The seating consists of one long picnic table that seats 8, plus a couple small counters.

I arrived around 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon with one of my classmates and her boyfriend, and there were a few counter seats open, so we ordered food to eat there and kept a wary eye on the counter seats. Suddenly, the line grew longer and longer, and before we knew it, people were served and took the available seats. As we continued waiting for our seats, a couple other counter seats freed up, but there were three of us, so we left a jacket on the two available ones and kept an eye out for any other seats freeing up.

Just as we got our food, three seats in the middle of the picnic table became available, so we grabbed them and sat amidst the previous group's bread basket (complete with half-eaten crusts) and some penne that had spilled onto the floor. Surrounding us on all sides were strangers devouring their meals.

Despite the mess and the strangers, we all enjoyed our meals. Marian and I got Penne Fedora, one of the dishes that is available daily (most of the menu changes depending on the day, but a couple dishes are always available). The fedora sauce, Bottega Fiorentina's specialty, is similar to a vodka sauce - mostly tomato, a hint of cream, and some herbs. The unique thing about this sauce is that it is really sweet, which was great for about the first half of the dish, but toward the end, it got to be a little much. I like my pasta topped with salty acidity tomatoey goodness, so the sweetness was kind of weird for my taste after awhile. It's delicious in small quantities, though. Michael got one of the daily specials - the Penne alla Medici, I think - which had a more typical sauce, plus prosciutto and mushrooms.

Bottega Fiorentina has a lot of charm (as well as lots of tasty-looking Italian specialty groceries) and I'll definitely go back, but I'd rather go at an odd time when seating is easier.

Check out the website, www.bottegabrookline.com, for the menu, hours, and other info.

What do other bloggers say? Check out...Cave Cibum: Cheap Eats: Bottega Fiorentina