Posh Barolo certainly has that fancy feeling, but there’s no focus to the design. Oil paintings, the Italian marble bar, angled mirrors, and candelabra everywhere suggest (as does the menu) classic high-end Italian. But aside from some green booths and white couches in the bar area, the dominant color is black—when the lights are low, it looks like someone threw tar all over a perfectly nice restaurant.

Why would someone do such a thing?

Because this place is in Belltown. And Barolo is Belltown at its most irritating. However talented some of the people in the kitchen are, the place reeks of inauthenticity—of hipness and of not caring about the customer.

House-made pasta is the best thing here, especially when the kitchen keeps things light (gnocchi with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce versus gnocchi al fagiano with braised pheasant, rich cheese, and foie gras).

Prices are too high, except at happy hour. The food is always at least serviceable, but the knowledge that the owners had such strong traditions in mind when opening the place makes Barolo feel like a colossal miss. But the wine list saves the day with some truly special bottles, and plenty of affordable ones, too.