Alpharetta: di Paolo Italian Kitchen

I didn't expect to find di Paolo but I'm glad I did. It is an elegant restaurant specializing in Italian food more in the northern style. They do have a wood-fired oven for pizza but they also have a strong menu of meat dishes.

For an appetizer, I tried the olives and almonds, which were wonderful. I've become addicted to olives lately; they combine saltiness, bitterness, and other flavors in a very compact package. This dish had an assortment of several types of very high quality olives. Those are the stems of a few of the olives sticking out of the dish, which was a nice ornamental touch. The almonds are an excellent accompaniment.

This is my entree, the roast pork shank. On top is some julienned apples. Behind the dish was some vinegared red cabbage somewhat reminiscent of sauerkraut but more crisp. As you can see, the meat was served on the bone, something you don't see very often with pork. The meat was fork tender and very juicy. The two garnishes were excellent counterpoints.

I got to spend some extra time there thanks to the huge storm that rolled through. The service was extremely gracious and attentive in a low-key way, in the manner of excellent Italian restaurants.

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