iCorsini

Description:

• With enough skill and resolve, any dump can be renovated into something extraordinary -- after all, it's not like the Lambda Lambda Lambdas started out with the finest fraternity house on the Adams campus. For a total change of space, check out iCorsini. In what was once the sworn enemy of fine dining -- an apathetic sports bar -- iCorsini's created an air of Renaissance Florence gone tropical: a re-marbled bar, walls covered in bas-relief palm fronds hand-crafted by Italian artists, and a lush garden of vines, draping palms, and a girthy oak tree; all told, it's enough to exorcise the memories of Wannstedt, Saban, and Cameron. The menu splits the difference between the chefs' respective backgrounds (Tuscan; Venetian/Sardinian), then tosses in tropical elements for dishes like Maine scallops and sweet potatoes roasted with basil-walnut pesto; carpaccio of local fish with Caribbean fruit salad; and pan seared tuna steak with papaya, mango, and rosemary oil -- a white-linen-pants version of "Scarborough Fair". Meatier stuff includes house-made pappardelle with slow-braised wild boar ragout; arrestingly simple Tuscan-style prime steaks (20- and 34-oz bone-in ribeyes, plus 22- and 48-oz herbed & grilled t-bones); and braised honeycomb tripe, ironically voted the least preferred dish amongst Honeycomb Kids. iCorsini also has a full bar and a well-crafted wine list that focuses on Italians, particularly super Tuscans -- stout enough to help even the most downtrodden nerd cap the night with a plate of "hair pie!".
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