Last night, to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary, my wife and I dined at my favorite restaurant in Atlanta, Sotto Sotto—in the Inman Park neighborhood of Atlanta.

Being a former and somewhat long-term Inman Park resident, I used to hate the place. When it first opened, the profusion of Yuppie Sleds (read: SUV), tucked in shirts and just generally anus-like behavior in my neighborhood exploded. Previously considered too scary for most suburbanites and Buckhead dwellers (this was before people thought Midtown was cool), Inman Park and the surrounding neighborhoods were a bit like an island in a sea—a refuge that had a varying flavor from the more “yupscale” areas of town, but free of the overwhelmingly “ghetto” flavor of much of the rest of the city. In short, it was laid back and fun.

But Sotto Sotto changed all that. The sidewalk filled with slicked-back hairstyles and cologne, perfume and pedicures. This isn’t so bad, in reality, but when things change, some people reflexively revolt. For years, I denied myself the pleasure of dining at Sotto Sotto out of principle. “They were the beginning of the end,” I would think to myself as I drove by and laid on the horn.

But no longer. Having finally broken down and dined there a couple years ago, I was smitten. This is the only restaurant I know of in Atlanta that is serving truly authentic Italian food. Sure, there are spots that have hit dishes of Italian origin, but if I were to eat at a decent restaurant in, say, Milan, it’d be a lot like Sotto Sotto. In fact, it reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite restaurants in Italy, the now-famous Acqua al 2, which serves slightly hipsterized Tuscan fare in a crowded, cozy and full of “vibe” room in Florence.

I could go on and on, but here’s a quick summary of the amazing meal we enjoyed:

Appetizer We split the antipasto platter. It features several cheeses: a pecornio toscano, a sweet gorgonzola, and a nice, mild cream cheese. Salumi cuts consisted of some copa, a cured salami, and thin slices of proscuitto san danielle—the “high end” of high end prosciuttos. Mushrooms cooked in balsamic vinegar and bay leaves and some olives rounded out the plate.

Salad The restaurant divided the asparagus and arugula salad for us. The plump spears of asparagus were chilled and juicy, while the arugula was lightly anointed with a citrus and vinegar dressing, sprinkled with a slight bit of black pepper, and topped with some toasted hazelnuts and freshly-sliced parmesano reggiano.

Pasta Here’s something we didn’t know about Sotto Sotto: They’ll serve any pasta in a half serving! We ordered a half serving of the Spaghetti Alla Bottarga, which is freshly made spaghetti with an olive oil, parsley, onion, lemon and sun dried mullet roe condimento. It was perfect, both in terms of flavor and amount. The roe added an amazing element of the sea to the perfectly salted concoction.

Secondo For our main courses, my wife elected for the duck breast with 12-year aceto balsamico pan sauce, served with polenta. The duck was truly succulent, and the caremalization that formed on the outside, combined with the balsamic vinegar, gave it just the right sweetness on the edge. I opted for the seared tuna, cooked rare, with olives and polenta. The tuna was perfect: fresh, seared crispy on the outside, with a small amount of chopped olives on top. One of life’s true pleasures is perfectly cooked fresh seafood, and this was it: just a hint of chew to the exterior, while soft and meaty inside. The olives added a pretty strong salty element to the dish, but I’m cool with that.

We sat on the patio and took our time. Our waiter was friendly and efficient, and the night was one of those Atlanta nights that makes you wonder why the weather ever has to change. Although I was a little dusted from a crappy day, being with my wife, my favorite person, pregnant with our soon-to-be daughter, in my favorite restaurant, in one of my favorite neighborhoods during one of the finest nights Atlanta has to offer, made it all add up to perfect.