Ado's Prosciutto di Parma e Burrata

Only in Venice would a neighbor at the next table see me salivating over her truffle pasta and offer me the first bite. It was Saturday night at Ado, the cute little Italian joint in the homey space formerly occupied by Amuse, and Allison was in the mood to share. I happily accepted her offer, even while wondering where on earth they found truffles this time of year. Australia?

Ado, a joint venture between Paolo Cesaro (Hidden and Via Veneto) and Chef Antonio Mure (Piccolo, La Botte, Locanda Veneta) opened last month with little fanfare, but the place already is already buzzing with a distinct party vibe. The space is tiny — only about 10 tables — and a little hot upstairs, but the service is fantastic and the food is pretty darned good.

My only beef about Ado is the price. Vic and I ordered two appetizers, one pasta, two entrees and two glasses of Nerello Mascalese wine. Even without dessert or a full bottle of wine, the meal tab came to $178 with tip. They actually charged us for three glasses of wine, but Vic caught the mistake. Still, the bill was pretty steep for an Italian meal in this economy, and I ate better for less last month on a trip to Florence. Not that the Venetians at Ado seemed to mind. Everyone was having a great time. And I must admit that the appetizer portions at Ado were huge. You could easily save a few bucks by ordering an appetizer and pasta instead of a main course.

When we arrived at Ado, a gaggle of gorgeous Italian men greeted us with “Buona Sera” and showed us upstairs to a table covered in white cloth and a single candle. There seemed to be almost as many servers as diners, which made for highly attentive (but not annoying) service that was rather polished for such a new place. We started the meal with a Parma Prosciutto and Burrata cheese appetizer (pictured above). The cheese was creamy and luscious, the prosciutto a salty winner. You can’t go wrong with this one. We also tried the Warm Baby Artichokes Hearth with Dungeness Crab Meat, Mache salad and Grape Must Reduction. This starter had a boatload of crab meat but could have used a tad more flavor — more of the must reduction, perhaps.

Fillet Mignon with Crispy Prosciutto

Next we shared the Home-made Pappardelle served with Rabbit Ragu, Porcini Mushrooms and Dried Prune. Dried prunes? I was a little concerned about that, but they actually added a sweet little flavor kick that balanced out this hearty dish. The thick ribbons of pasta were cooked quite al dente. Nice overall, but not especially memorable.

My main course, however, was a huge winner. The Grilled Colorado Lamb Chop stuffed with Pesto and served with a Red Wine and Mustard Sauce was fantastic. The meat was tender, cooked flat and then rolled up with the pesto filling. The sauce was salty — I like salty — and complex. So good. Vic ordered the Pan sautéed Beef Filet Mignon served with Crispy Prosciutto and a Pink Peppercorn Sauce. Sounded wonderful, and it wasn’t bad at all. But if you have a choice between the filet and the lamb chops, go with the lamb chops for sure. The sauce was just better, the dish itself more interesting. Both of our entrees were served with a side of carrots, potatoes and sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, which looked like potatoes and tasted sort of like a crunchy root vegetable.

I wish we’d had room for dessert, but like I said, the portions were massive, and we were stuffed by the end of the meal. The service was so friendly, the folks at Ado made you feel like you were stopping by their home for a dinner party. The valet saw us coming down the stairs and brought us the correct car without us even giving him the ticket. What a great place for date night. I have a feeling Ado is going to be hard to get into very soon, but if you do make it, don’t forget to share some truffles with your neighbor. — Jenny

Ado: 796 Main Street
Venice, 310-399-9010.