Service: Pro and very friendly
Equipment & Facilities: Great overall cleanliness and superb washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Fresh local ingredients whenever possible. Both traditional and inventive Italian cuisine. Good wine list at moderate prices. Open late!
The other day, having been busy all day as it is bound to be on holidays (!) we decided it would be better to visit our friends at Solio Italian Restaurant in Shizuoka City, Aoki Ku!
As they serve only slow food it was perfect for relaxation and great food!
Sommelier Mieko Osawa/小澤三江子さん and Chef Takehiko Katoh/加藤武彦さん
As Takehiko is very particular about the vegetables he uses, one ought to have a go at his great bagna cauda!
All local vegetables including some from his own garden!
I never tire of looking at them!
On that particular day one item than Frenchmen cannot ignore was on the menu!
Ris de veau/veal sweetbread with mushrooms in Marsala wine sauce!
Actually both Takehiko and Mieko had just come back from a week-trip to Italy!
They offered us some succulent wild boar and pork salami served with cold confit onion!
Takehiko is also very careful about the fish he serves especially as carpaccio!
Madai/Japanese red seabream from Shizuoka Prefecture!
Pasta is always made with the best and freshest ingredients!
White fleshed fish and spring cabbage linguine!
Might look simple enough, but I can guarantee that the taste is superb!
We certainly never eat what we can make at home, and there are secrets that will never be fully revealed!
SOLOIO
Chef Takehiko Katoh/加藤武彦さん/Sommelier Mieko Osawa/小澤三江子さん
420-0858 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tenmacho, 9-7, Kita, 1
Tel./fax: 054-260-4637
Business hours: 16:00~24:00
Closed on Monday
Credit cards OK
Private parties welcome!
Happy hour: 16:00~17:00: 1,000 yen set-3 appetizers plate and 1 glass of house wine!
Smoking allowed BUT Non-smoking until 20:00 everyday!
Looks absolutely wonderful. But, on this one point alone, I am thunderstruck. If no smoking is in force until 8pm, why allow smoking at all? Don’t they realize that smoking gets all over every surface, and still endangers the health of the helpless staff who are basically prisoners in the jail/restaurant? They MUST breath in the chemical clouds of poisons. This decision to allow smoking means the owners (who are doubtless truly caring people), have not made the connection that any smoking poisons the entire place, and does not show respect for their food or staff. This is pretty severe. For this reason alone, and I am sorry, I would not go there. Please inform them of my reasoning. Soooo close to 100% nonsmoking. Why not go all the way?
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Dear Pat, I agree with you, but they reached that situation because of their unusual opening hours to satisfy two sets of very different customers. They are the only place in town where one can expect top Italian gastronomy late at night. I did talk a lot about it with them They do spend two hours every night cleaning and airing the whole place before hitting the sack. Moreover, they do not employ any staff. The washroom is superb and the whole is spotless clean. They are personal friends of mine and I know they will switch to a completely non-smoking mode as soon as they can!
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