Vibe: Right on Sundance Square, Taverna offers a relaxed, vaguely old-world atmosphere with a decidedly Italian accent. As you walk through the shining glass doors, you’ll smell roasted garlic and baking bread and hear Italian pop music. Polished wood, glass and copper, dark wood tables and black-clad wait staff reinforce the atmosphere of a traditional northern Italian eatery. Above a partially shielded grilling area, where flames periodically flare up with promising ferocity, a blackboard lists daily specials.
Why it's tot-friendly: Relaxed atmosphere with friendly vibe; Shirley Temples always available. Although there’s no child’s menu per se, there are half-orders of pasta plates and kid-size pizzas, and it’s casual enough to encourage parents to let down their guard a little.
Be sure to try: Bread from the wood-burning stove and risotto, a rice dish treasured in Northern Italy but seen much less often in the States.
Good to know: Italian-born chef Germano Minnin designed the menu and oversees the restaurant’s cooking staff. The menu is small but specialized; effort has been made to preserve the authenticity of the dishes.
Best times to go with kids: Mid afternoon during the week, or Sundays.
Updated on 1/29/13
