Ototo

After my terrible crepe experience last week, I needed a come-back or sorts. So I went to dinner with my mom at this great restaurant on south Pearl. It's called Ototo Food and Wine Bar, and it was beyond wonderful. Let me just give you the history before I talk about the food. Basically, the guys at Sushi Den have done it again. As if Sushi Den and Izakaya Den weren't already amazing, let's open up another restaurant that will knock your socks off! But this isn't sushi, this is an oyster bar and wine bar that showcases a mix of many different flavors and culinary styles and because it is all small plates, you can taste a few and share them with your table.
We  started off with the New Style Diver Scallops, and they were so perfectly cooked that they melted in my mouth. They had a touch of jalapeno that added just the right amount of heat, and well, they were awesome. After that came the P.E.I. Mussels,which were swimming in this white wine, garlic broth that was so good, we started eating it with a spoon because we ran out of the equally delicious toasted ciabatta bread that accompanied the mussels. My mom was still slurping it down when the waiter came to take our plates away! I was, admittedly, devastated when they told me that they didn't have the Lobster Gnocchi because anytime you have lobster, bacon, and pasta in the same bowl, something stupendous  is bound to happen. But we decided on one of the main fish  dishes instead. It was a white fish, and for the life of me I cannot remember what it was except that it wasn't the halibut, but it came with a white bean ravioli and this awesome sauce that warranted ordering more bread to sop it up with. After having our fill of savory delights and several glasses of the house red, there was no way I was going to leave without trying some dessert. We shared the Rhubarb Panacotta. Holy S@#t! This dessert was so thick and creamy and fruity and nutty and buttery good that it was hard to share it. Luckily I started to feel full or I would have ordered another one! This was such a different experience than others I've had where the food had a flaw here or there or the service was sub-par. Ototo delivered with flying colors. It's one of those total package places; food, atmosphere, location, wine and service. This was one of those meals where I found my self making little noises with every bite. And , yes it was awkward because my mom was there too making the same noises.
So if you have a few extra bones to spend and want to treat yourself to an amazing meal, head to Ototo, sample a few things off the fantastic menu and go home feeling sated and warm, but without the food coma from heavy meals.