Nostrana

Like fine wines and hot chicks, restaurants usually get better with age. But since opening to grand fanfare in 2005, the phenomenon that was Nostrana has lost a little of its sparkle. The once-exciting, high-ceilinged rustic atmosphere is now beyond noisy and creates almost a hangarlike reverse vertigo. Nostrana's Italian mix of personal pizzas, pasta and game all cooked in the restaurant's famous wood grill has inexplicably turned bland. A mushroom-and-sausage pizza was disappointing, the sausage overpowering the potentially delicious chanterelles. Housemade tajarin with rabbit sauce is now like a gamey ragoût, and a goose-breast dish is overwhelmed by a too-sweet fig sauce. What happened? Possibly Nostrana got too big for its britches, or perhaps co-chef Cathy Whims is just bored. On the brighter side, recent high points included a plate of Saulmi and Fra Mani salami paired with a spicy apricot chutney and sour pickled cherries, as well as a nicely seared flatiron steak. But, all things considered (including the price point), enjoying the current Nostrana dining experience takes effort. Here's hoping the menu—and the chef—will wake up and inject a little bit of change into Nostrana's still-worthy blood line. (LS&KC)

Signature Dish: The wood-fired pizza.

Standouts: A server who, faced with a table proffering a variety of substitutions and food allergies, was attentive and made sure mistakes were corrected.

Regrets: Floor-to-ceiling windows gave us a gorgeous view of the burgeoning homeless camp across the street.

WWeek 2015