Located in the former Smokehouse space, which has been closed for renovation for more than a year now, new owner Eddie Sujak has transformed the former Englewood steakhouse and cigar bar into a “country Italian steakhouse” named Sofia.
The results are astounding—and oh so chic. Completely redesigned by top interior designer Max Cutler, the new space features a cool, modern vibe with just the right amount of old school Italian touches. Oh, and that smoking lounge? It’s been moved downstairs—complete with a new ventilation system and the option of keeping your stogies stashed away in one of their premium cigar storage lockers.
But what’s really smoking? The totally revamped menu full of classic Italian fare, fresh-made pastas, signature cocktails, and more than a few surprising specialty dishes (porterhouse steak for two, anyone?). While Sofia is decidedly adult dining, we stopped in on the early side with the kids for dinner, and were seated without much of a wait (warning: don’t try this on a Saturday night—you might not be so lucky) and were offered a complementary bottle of sparkling water.
We started off with the Lifeguard-style Fried Calamari and an order of kid-friendly “Sofia’s Polpette,” meatballs with plum tomatoes and ricotta cheese. Unsurprisingly, they were gobbled up quickly. For our main course, we sampled the Shortrib Pappardelle; the Fish of the Day (cod), served with lightly steamed veggies in parchment paper, and the Chicken Parmesan, which was served in pizza-style slices that were fun to share. Oh, did we mention the chef is a James Beard award winner? It clearly showed.
Not that we were still hungry, but my daughter convinced the table we couldn’t leave without dessert, so an order each of Almond Tiramisu and Lemon Sorbet soon arrived at our table. They didn’t stay long.
Here’s hoping Sofia doesn’t have the same fate.
Sofia
36 Engle Street
Englewood
(201) 541-8530
Valet parking (YES!)
