Mirta is a small place with a casual atmosphere, that seemed frequented by local, regular customers.  It serves seasonal and creative food without frills that is excellent. It is a family run place with Juan Lema of Uruguay as the main chef and his wife Cristina Borgherini running the front of the house. They make fresh pasta daily and the chef’s attention to detail delivers a tasty, satisfying product to the lucky diner.  The rest of the staff was friendly and helpful, our waitress being particularly helpful in making selections. It was an experience I look forward to having again.  

 

They have bottled wine but also offer liters, or portions thereof, of a couple different house wines. It was very acceptable as well as reasonably priced. We started with the porcini salad which the kitchen was nice enough to split into 2 bowls for us. It was an excellent start! The grated cheese on top had a wonderful flavor as did the porcini mushrooms. It was lightly dressed and super fresh – just perfect.

 

For first plates we had the cheese ravioli in butter sauce.  It was served with additional grated cheese which was a nice accent for the mild dish. Sometimes mild tastes are annoying but in the case here it was nicely done with the rich, subtle taste of the pasta, cheese and butter.  Really good.

 

We also had the pasta with leeks, pistachios and zucchini. Another simple dish but with a divine taste. The sauce and the perfectly cooked pasta just melted in you mouth and felt like the ultimate comfort food.

 

For main dish I tried the polenta with gorgonzola and caramelized figs. The creamy gorgonzola melted into the cornmeal balls of polenta and combined with the fig produced an amazing taste. My only comment here would have been to want a couple more figs on the dish. The combination of flavors sang with the fig but was dull without that accent.

 

The boneless chicken with beans was heavenly.  The chicken had bits of ham inside and was surrounded by beans accented with garlic and carrots.  It was definitely the better of the two dishes and I would order it again without question.

 

For dessert he had made a gorgonzola ice cream with poached pears. Talk about heaven – the tender flavorful pears were warm and melted into the creamy and smooth mildly flavored ice cream. It was absolutely delicious. The mix of textures and temperatures was classic and a delightful way to end a lovely meal.