Nebo, Finally!

The North End’s Nebo has been on my “must-visit” list for quite some time now. Over the Boston Marathon weekend this past year, we had plans to go there. Heat and huge North End crowds drove us to the cooler, quieter suburbs for dinner at A Tavola in Winchester, so when I had an event in the North End this week, right across the street from Nebo, we decided to make a long overdue visit.

Nebo has been around since 2005, which makes it even worse that I made my first visit in 2012! It is owned by two sisters, Carla and Christine Pallotta, who have been inspired by their grandmother, mother, and travels through Italy to create a beautiful, delicious wine bar and restaurant.

Our dinner at Nebo happened on a 90 degree evening, so we both cooled off with a rosé wine from Planeta, one of my favorites, and a stop on my dream vacation to Sicily. Pretty, pink, cool, with flavors of ripe strawberries and rose petals, this wine, like all Planeta wines, was delightful.

We had a hard time deciding on what to order from Nebo’s extensive menu and eventually decided to share a few things. To start, we had the bruschette ricotta: nebo fig spread, ricotta, prosciutto di parma, all which went perfectly with the wine. The salty meat and sweet fig spread were a big hit with both of us. As with the rest of our meal, the portion size for the price provided some really outstanding value which is always a reason to return.

We split two entrees; of course we had to try the winner of the Bobby Flay Throwdown, zucchini lasagna which was made up of layered zucchini, homemade ricotta, mozzarella, romano, marinara sauce. We also ordered the pappardelle alla Bolognese: slow braised meat ragù, tomato, cream, pecorino romano. Both dishes were hearty and made with a fresh, tangy tomato sauce. The pappardelle was to-die-for; it doesn’t get much better than homemade pasta!  And we could totally tell why the zucchini lasagna was a winner. My meat-loving husband actually liked that dish even better than the Bolognese. We ended up with two sizeable portions to bring home for lunch the next day.

We were fairly full by the time the dessert menu came along, but Nebo offers a simple favorite, affogato, so we had to share it. Fluffy, creamy vanilla bean gelato mixed with rich, hot espresso? Dreamy. It was just the right amount of sweet to end the night.

The service at Nebo was fantastic. Our server was very friendly and checked in on us several times without being too pushy. It was the perfect place for a relaxing date. With so many menu items to try, Nebo will be seeing us again!

Did you eat anywhere delicious this weekend?