The Early Word on Inman Park's BoccaLupo

A month ago, chef and owner Bruce Logue opened the much-anticipated BoccaLupo, ushering a menu of black spaghetti, 20-yolk tagliatelle and some not-noodle options into Inman Park. Early reports are praising the patio, the cocktails and aforementioned pasta dishes. Some have reported blips in service and execution here and there, but the buzz for Logue's new neighborhood Italian place is mostly positive. Here's the early word on BoccaLupo:

The Good News: Blog Chow Down Atlanta prefers BoccaLupo to Logue's former La Pietra Cucina: "Overall, I like it better than LPC. I love the cool vibe. It's fun and not stuffy (or snobby) at all. I love the food. Everything is handmade from scratch by Chef Bruce including the desserts (except for the Gelato). Everything I ate was delicious and even better than LPC. I love the prices. It's a true neighborhood joint where you can hang out and go several times a month without having to go bankrupt." [CDA]

The Bad News: One Yelper wasn't exactly pleased with the food: "I know they just opened, but with that chef's resume those dishes shouldn't have happened. Rissotto was butter soup, black spaghetti with sausage and shrimp was simply oily with flecks of bland sausage. the taglietelle with mushrooms and ramp greens was ok...a light cream sauce and the pasta was fresh. The fregalo with calamari in tomato broth was the best, though the broth was still a bit thin...and to serve a seafood stew or soup without a spoon or bread seems nearly criminal." [Yelp]

The Just-Right News: UrbanDaddy dishes the restaurant fills a certain niche: "You were just saying how there aren't any Italian places around that meet your criteria. It's got to be small enough that you can get to know someone. Big enough that you can get to know some other someones. And... whatever enough to serve whiskey cocktails topped with port wine foam. Check all those boxes for BoccaLupo...." [UrbanDaddy]

The Pasta News: Luxe Crush approves of the noodle-y options at the "no- frills eatery": "On the pasta-centric opening menu: 20-yolk tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and ramp greens; papardelle Bolognese; linguini with Sapelo Island clams; and Logue's famed black spaghetti with Calebrese sausage and rock shrimp in all its robust, spicy goodness." [Luxe Crush]

The Mostly Good News: One Yelp user evaluates the experience with three stars, noting: "The food was wonderful. While the kitchen did make a mistake and sent out the wrong meal, they quickly rectified it. ... Prices were agreeable. Menu selection takes a little negotiating and a few questions for our waiter but we easily settled on what were fine choices. The bartender has a nice hand and the drinks came quickly (and went down that way!)."

The Tab News: Creative Loafing liked the octopus, and the pricing: "The big difference between La Pietra and this new restaurant is cost. The menu is, with a few exceptions, all pastas and antipasti with quite reasonable prices." [Creative Loafing]

The Atmosphere News: Thrillist Atlanta appreciates the minimalist vibe: "Setting up shop in the former Sauced space, Bocca sports the same neighborhood feel, but now rocks polished concrete floors, intimate, dark wood-clad seating, and minimal artwork, so as to not distract you from the beautiful dishes about to hit your table." [Thrillist]

The Skewer News: A disappointed Yelper was down on everything from the service to the portions: "The skewer, which she described as a long skewer with generous portions of beef", was no longer than my finger. Two little pieces of rice gnocchi that looked like tater tots, and a few veggies. the entire dish, could have fit in the palm of my hand." [Yelp]

The Patio News A Foursquare user digs the outdoor seating: "Tables in the front or on the back patio are great. Black spaghetti is the way to go for sure - same that used to be at LPC. Overall great addition to Inman Park." [Foursquare]

· All BoccaLupo Coverage [-EATL-]