Artu

   I love the North End but tend to go to the handful of places I've been going for years, so I was excited for the chance to check out a restaurant I'd never tried: Artu with Blog and Tweet Boston this week. Artu is located on Prince street, just off of Hanover. Our dinner was in the private space, a loft off of the main bar, which was the perfect setting for a private party.
   We started with some delicious cocktails and apps to share. I really enjoyed the beet salad and seared scallops with roasted cauliflower, but several others in our group raved about the meatballs and grilled bread with smoked mozzarella.

Beet Salad, Crumbled Gorgonzola, Pistachio Vinaigrette

Grilled Country Bread, Smoked Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Proscuitto

Housemade Meatballs

Grilled Sea Scallops with Cipollini Puree and Oven Roasted Cauliflower

   Next was the pasta course, and I was excited to see that almost every pasta could be made gluten free. I opted for the pasta with Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, and pecorino and it was delicious! It was also an extremely generous portion.

Italian Sausage, Broccoli Rabe Pesto, Pecorino Romano, and Gluten Free Penne

   For my main course, I ordered the New York Strip steak with broccoli rabe and roasted potatoes. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare, had great flavor, and was a very nice cut with just a fat cap on the edge to give it flavor.

Grass Fed New York Strip, Broccoli Rabe, Roasted Potatoes

   Others in our group enjoyed the salmon and brussels sprouts (not pictured) and the eggplant rollatini.

Eggplant Rollatini

   I was almost too full for dessert, but managed a few bites of the flourless chocolate cake. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic meal!

   Thanks to Artu and Blog and Tweet Boston for hosting, I definitely plan to be back soon!