Sister Restaurant was opened by Duro Hospitality (behind The Charles) in the spot where the Grape Restaurant had been for 40 years.  It serves an Italian/Mediterranean loosely inspired selection of dishes.  They make their pasta which is served 7 nights a week.  Barely open a month, it is already packed with hungry excited guests.  The large porch dining area is still there but inside it has been completely transformed.  Two large faux trees are in the center which is surrounded by cozy booth seating and tables.  A sleek bar is at one end and opposite are shelves containing an assortment of objects.  The previous 2 rooms are now one and it is much brighter with music in the background (louder on the porch than inside).  Some of the tables have clothes and others a polished finish.  It is a pleasant space, service is excellent and the food is good too.  Plates are meant to be shared which always makes for a more interesting meal.

Facility

Wines

 

Food

We visited two times, once inside and the second outside and with friends.  Some items we repeated and the only change in the menu was the Broccolini, that became properly named broccoli – which is what was served just named wrong on the menu.  The wine list was the same so I won’t post photos twice.  I expect the menu to see changes with seasons but they need a little time before I would expect many changes.  Service was excellent and helpful.  We started our first meal with a Negroni cocktail.  It was well made and tasty.

 

Charred eggplant and sesame dip was served with seasonal vegetables and olive oil.  Basically a Baba Ganoush but served with vegetables to dip rather than bread.  Cucumbers, radish, peppers and broccoli were the vegetables and the sesame seeds were on top of the eggplant puree. The vegetables provided the color and made the flavor varied when eaten with the brown dip.  It was not attractive but tasted good and was fun to eat.

 

Beets and Avocado were tossed with a lemon vinaigrette and topped with wild rice then all put on tahini.  It was an odd combination that worked.   The avocado was properly ripe and flavorful and the red beets cooked to a soft texture to match.  The puffed wild rice added a fun crunch to the nice dish.

 

Beef and Lamb grilled meatballs were in a Piperade sauce dotted with feta and jalapeño.  The slightly spicy sauce was good and the 3 meatballs were tender and good mixed with it and the cheese. Another well flavored option.

 

Buckwheat Lumache was made with cacio pepe cream, shitake, and kale gremolata.  It was divine.  The creamy sauce covered the tender pasta pieces drenched with mushroom flavor.  It was an amazing dish and one we repeated on our second visit.

 

Wild “Boaranaise” was made with rye malfadine, fiore sardo and rosemary.  I suspect this was  a take on Bolognese sauce and they meant rye mafaldine.  Either way the long strands of perfectly cooked pasta were nicely coated with a really flavorful red meat sauce that was topped with the tasty firm Italian sheep cheese.  It was a winner, as I suspect all their pastas will be.

 

Broccolini with figs, coppa, and pistachios in a chili garlic vinaigrette.  As I said before it was broccoli and that worked out fine.  Lots of textures in this dish as well as flavors.  It all blended quite well.

 

Charred carrots were mixed with dates and spiced cashews and served on whipped feta.  The carrots were quite good and the nuts provided a crunch while the dates gave it some chewiness.  The cheese pulled it all together,  Another good one.

 

Crispy sunchokes were on top of Green Goddess dressing and decorated with capers and parsley.  The coating on the chokes was nicely crispy with the insides being cooked enough to easily cut.   They went incredibly well with the sauce.  Another winner.

 

Grilled eggplant parmesan was served with basil ricotta and crushed tomatoes.  This one was the only one that didn’t work for us.  The texture was too mushy and it just didn’t meld into a tasty bite.

 

Pork Secreto was brushed with apricot honey and served with caramelized fennel and polenta.  The meat was tender, cooked perfectly and very flavorful.  The polenta was excellent  and the fennel good and tender.   The couple cooked cherry tomatoes added color but would only rate so-so.  I would get this one again too.

 

Chicken Marsala was plated with kale, black truffles and maitake mushrooms in the marsala sauce.  It was a half chicken but cut into beautifully roasted pieces of moist chicken.  The mushrooms were really great – maybe a factor of being coated with the rich wonderful sauce.

 

Double chocolate bar was with cherries, mezcal and smoked ice cream.  It was like two layers of chocolate goodness topped with a meringue and served with delicious cherries and ice cream topped with nuts.  The first night we had it the meringue was more browned but both nights it was a spectacular chocolate fix.

 

Campari poached pear was on an almond cake topped with whipped marscapone (mascarpone – they need a spell check for their menu) and mandarin sorbet.  It was lots of fun  flavors and textures on the buttery almond cake.  A good one.

 

Banana Budino was made with halva, caramel and chocolate banana bread.  This one was not as sweet and less a favorite than the other two.  The pomegranate seeds gave it a bit of texture but the banana bread didn’t have enough banana flavor for me.  The bread was in the middle of the custard.