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A dark ceramic bowl of tagliatelle with a rich meat ragù, grated parmigiano and herbs, held out across the pass

Cucina & vino · Delray Beach

We make the pasta at three. By seven it’s gone.

A small Italian kitchen and wine bar on Sample Ave, run by two sisters. Giulia rolls the pasta and minds the grill; Marta pours the wine and remembers your name.

I. La cucinaTwo sisters, one very small kitchen

Giulia cooks. Marta pours. Between them they agree on almost everything, except how much garlic is too much (Giulia: there’s no such thing).

A cook in a white shirt and dark apron plating asparagus onto a row of ceramic plates at the pass
fig. 1Giulia at the pass, 7:40pm. Plates go out when she says so.
Le sorelle

Giulia runs the stove. Marta runs the room.

Sorella means sister, and that’s the whole business plan. The sisters grew up at a long Sunday table where lunch started at one and ended when someone finally put the coffee on. They wanted a room in Delray that felt like that on a Tuesday.

Giulia learned pasta from their nonna, who measured flour by the handful and eggs by the look of the dough. Marta learned wine by asking too many questions, and still does. You’ll see one of them at your table before dessert. Usually both.

“If you leave hungry, that’s on us. If you leave in a hurry, that’s on you.”
Giulia, to every table that asks for the check too early
La pasta

Three o’clock, in the front window

Every afternoon the dough table goes up by the window and the street gets a show. Thirty yolks, double-zero flour, a little semolina, no machine for the cutting. Walk past and knock; Giulia will wave with a floury hand.

  1. 3:00A well of flour, yolks in the middle, a fork.
  2. 3:40The dough rests under an upturned bowl.
  3. 4:15Rolled thin enough to read the menu through.
  4. 4:45Cut, dusted, hung. By seven, most of it is gone.
Hands rolling out a sheet of fresh pasta dough with a long wooden rolling pin on a floured steel counter
fig. 2The mattarello: nonna’s, not for sale.
Nests of freshly cut tagliatelle on a floured marble counter
A cook spooning sauce over grilled meat and a golden potato on a white plate in a dark kitchen
fig. 3A secondo off the oak, finished at the pass with its own juices.
Il fuoco

Oak, a little orange wood, and patience

The grill gets lit at four and fed all night. Steak, whole fish, fennel sausage, a half chicken pressed under a brick. Nothing gets a sauce it doesn’t need; most things get lemon, salt, and good oil.

If the fish is on the board, it came off a day boat that morning. If it isn’t, it didn’t.

More about the sisters

II. La cartaTonight’s menu, the short version

A taste of what’s on. Point at a dish to see it. The full carta changes a little every week, depending on what turns up at the back door.

Pastamade at three

  • Tagliatelle al ragù

    $24

    Hand-rolled pasta, slow-cooked beef, parmigiano.

  • Pappardelle ai funghi

    $26

    Wide ribbons, roasted mushrooms, sage brown butter, a snow of pecorino.

  • Tagliatelle alla puttanesca

    $23

    Tomato, Gaeta olives, capers and a little anchovy. Loud and briny.

  • Linguine alle vongole

    $32

    Littleneck clams, garlic, white wine, parsley. Mop the bowl with focaccia.

Dal fuocooff the oak

  • Tagliata di manzo

    $46

    Strip steak off the embers, sliced, rocket, parmigiano, rosemary oil.

Dolcifor the table

  • Tiramisù

    $12

    Made every morning in a deep tray. Espresso, mascarpone, a lot of cocoa.

  • Affogato

    $9

    Fior di latte gelato, drowned at the table in a double espresso.

Any pasta as a half portion before a secondo, for two-thirds the price.

The whole menu

III. Dalla cucinaFrom the kitchen, most afternoons

Flour on the floor by four, candles on the tables by five. This is roughly what a day looks like between the first egg cracked and the last espresso.

Hands lifting fresh tagliatelle over a floured tray, with a bowl of brown eggs behind
fig. 4Sheeting the day’s dough.
Hands gathering fresh tagliatelle into nests on a floured counter
fig. 5Nests, resting until seven.
A mound of white flour with a bright egg yolk in the centre on a wooden board
fig. 6The well.
A slice of tiramisu on a white plate with candlelight blurred behind it
fig. 7The last slice of tiramisù, 10:20pm.
A candlelit dining room with exposed brick, white tablecloths and a large painting
fig. 8The back room, ten minutes before doors.
An orange spritz, glasses of white wine and small plates of pasta on a wooden table
fig. 9Aperitivo, 4:45pm.
Candles glowing between wine glasses on a dark table at night
fig. 10Candles go on at five. Nobody blows them out.
A glass of red wine and a glass of rosé side by side in soft light

fig. 11Rosso or rosato? Marta says both.

IV. Il vinoThirty-odd bottles. All Italian. All Marta’s fault.

The list runs north to south, from mountain whites in Alto Adige to the volcanic reds of Etna. A dozen are poured by the glass, and the house red is priced so you order a second.

Marta’s three, this week

  • Etna Rosato

    15glass · 66bottle

    Sicilia. Blood orange and crushed stone. Have it with the fritto misto.

  • Langhe Nebbiolo

    19glass · 74bottle

    Piemonte. Rose petals and tar. With the ragù, obviously.

  • Franciacorta Brut

    19glass · 86bottle

    Lombardia. Brioche and lemon peel. For birthdays, or Tuesdays.

— Marta

Open the wine listAperitivo, 4–6pm

V. Vieni a trovarciCome for dinner. Or just a glass.

200 Sample Ave
Delray Beach, FL 33444
Tuesday5–10pm · bar from 4
Wednesday5–10pm · bar from 4
Thursday5–10pm · bar from 4
Friday5–11pm · bar from 4
Saturday5–11pm · bar from 4
Sunday4–9pm supper · bar from 3
MondayChiuso

The bar takes walk-ins every night. The dining room fills up Thursday to Saturday, so book those.

Reserve a tableParking, kids & other questions
Map: Sorella at 200 Sample Ave, Delray Beach Sorella sits on Sample Ave between Garden St and Park Pl. A public garage is one block north on Garden St. The beach is about a six-minute walk east, over the Intracoastal bridge. P SAMPLE AVEGARDEN STPARK PL ELM ROWHARBOR RD INTRACOASTAL Atlantic 6 min to the sand S Sorella N
Walk to the beachPocket parkP Garden St garage, free after 5
Reserve a table