Overall: 3/5

In the heart of the Fremont neighborhood, a few blocks from the bridge troll is Agrodolce, an Italian restaurant specializing in “organic Silician cuisine” from chef Maria Hines. The restaurant is inconspicuous, hidden off to the side on N 35th Street. A cheery and inviting “Fresh Pasta” attracts diners and other passerby.

In the mood for some carbs, we recently swung by for dinner. We started off with the house made foccacia ($3), with nash’s red wheat, olive oil, and sea salt.

Nothing special here with texture and taste, but the sea salt on top gives the bread some nice flavor. Next is the caramelized broccoli with almonds, chili flakes, anchovy vinaigrette ($10)

The broccoli had a nice charred flavor. The chili flakes and the vinaigrette gave the dish a nice mix of saltiness, acidic bite, and heat. Next appetizer was the pugliese burrata with marinated kale, citrus, focaccia croutons ($13).

The burrata was rich and creamy, though we wish we had more of it at thirteen dollars. The kale was dried so it was crispy and broke off easily, and, along with the croutons, provided a nice contrast in texture. The citrus brought some nice notes of the sweetness to the dish. Heading into the main course, we ordered two shared the red wheat spaghetti & clams with chopped caper, calabrian chili, preserved lemon ($17).

The texture of the pasta, to me, came in slightly under al dente. Although this could merely be the function of red wheat. The capers and lemons brought brightness to the dish, and the clams had a nice bite. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the dish perhaps had a touch too much of the pasta water, as there was a heavy starch taste that lingered after every bite. I liked the dish overall, but the starchy feel really stood out for me.

Overall, I find the food at Agrodolce to be generally well-executed, but slightly pricey. I hope to revisit again soon and try some more pastas and main dishes to complement this review.