Homer, a tapas-style restaurant serving Mediterranean-inspired food, sits atop Beacon Hill and was the restaurant I was heading out to review on a cold January night. As Homer doesn’t take reservations, I stopped by at 8 p.m. only to be told that the waiting list to get a table for three would be longer than the restaurant would be open. Quickly, using my unstructured problem solving and resilience, I walked two minutes down Beacon Ave. and came across a cozy, wood floored Italian restaurant: Bar Del Corso. The warm ambiance radiating through the window invited me in, and the hostess quickly found an available table in the corner of the space. The menu was simple but had enough variety to appeal to multiple hungry stomachs and was a fine replacement for dinner. 

My first ever dish that I reviewed for Anderson Eats was of Suppli (surprise in Italian) and the appetizer made a return at Bar Del Corso. Similar in execution to the risotto balls of Saltoro, my first restaurant, the Suppli was fried to a perfect golden brown and delivered an audible crunch when I cut into it. This was immediately followed by a steamy, risotto interior with a melted mozzarella center that was rich, salty, and fulfilling. As someone who orders burrata anytime it is offered by a restaurant, I was excited to find it on the small menu. There were things to both like and dislike about this appetizer. To start, the cheese itself was beautifully creamy, topped with salt and pepper, and placed delicately on top of a broccolini base with a balsamic glaze. Flavor-wise, the dish was spot on — however, in my opinion, the proportions were off. The size of the cheese was quite small and only fit on two of the four (small) slices of toast that came along. In my experience, the best burrata plates are the ones with cheese left over after eating it alongside the toast. In the case of Del Corso, the broccolini became the focus of the appetizer, as there wasn’t enough cheese for three people. 

In terms of pizza quality, I can confidently say that Bar Del Corso serves the finest pizza in Seattle. With only four pizzas on the menu, I made an easy choice and went with the classic Margherita and was honestly blown away by the taste. It truly resembled authentic Italian pizza: light on the sauce, a thin base, a nice subtle char on the crust, soft bocconcini dotted about, and a basil topping. I was even given scissors to cut myself each slice of pizza, which is a common practice of Italy and Roman-style pizza. It was light and fresh and a delightful entree. Even after the multitudes of appetizers I had ordered, I still found room for about half of the pizza.

As an impromptu review destination, Bar Del Corso far exceeded my expectations and is surely going to become a go-to place for me. Despite the strange acoustics of the restaurant (it seemed like each conversation would bounce off the wall and increase in volume), leading to having to repeat orders a couple of times and yelling across the table, the dining experience is enjoyable. The quality of flavor is the closest resemblance to true Italian cuisine I’ve seen, and the restaurant deserves a try from all curious Lakesiders!