Light stucco walls, high ceilings, mammoth mirrors and a second-story balcony make this compact space seem cozy, not crowded.
Business leaders, journalists and lobbyists do their power-lunch thing here. It quiets down a bit during early evening but picks up again with a younger, late-night crowd.
In the Italian tradition, Sesto Senso offers a series of courses that can turn a meal into an event. Seven antipasti, 10 pasta dishes and six pizzas are created from fresh domestic and imported ingredients. These aren't pizzas to share with the children -- pungent gorgonzola, prosciutto di Parma, crisp arugula and marinated grilled eggplant. Grilled skewered calamari, seafood linguini and creamy risottos are house favorites.
The expansive menu changes with the seasons and is enhanced by nightly specials, from zuppa to zabaglione. The adjunct menu features something extra in all categories: antipasto, soup, pasta, risotto, pizza, fish, beef, poultry and dessert. Reservations are recommended at all times.
Sesto Senso means "sixth sense" in Italian and Executive Chef Marra seems to have one for combining unusual ingredients into stunning new dishes, such as the beef tenderloin medallions with gorgonzola fondue or fresh salmon with braised lentils and basil aioli. It takes a strong sixth sense of your own to decide between the creme brulee, lemon sorbet, coffee semifreddo or classic tiramisu.
-- Lynda McDaniel
At night, walk into Sesto Senso, and you'll probably be bathed in a Gregorian chant set to a driving thump, thump, ditti-ditti-ditti-ditti beat with a female voice screaming "Are you ready?!" over and over. This particular nightspot is a magnet for that brand of club music and the suave and beautiful set that enjoys it.
If you enjoy wearing black, and perhaps just returned from a semester of study in Rome, Sesto Senso is your place. The space is tall, narrow and reeks of European sophistication. Large mirrors hang on the dark walls and an elaborate Baroque chandelier dominates the center of the room. A balcony area in the back overlooks the swank scene below.
The DJ starts cranking the tunes at about 11:30 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The dinner tables and chairs are pushed back, and the crowd jumps until 2 or 3 a.m. The clientele ranges in age from late twenties to early forties, and hails primarily from countries around the Mediterranean and points east. About 25 percent of the crowd is American, and many -- both Yanks and expats -- are regulars. All are well dressed: the guys with slicked back hair and the girls in the latest Bebe fashions. Sneakers and baseball caps are not allowed. You may even spot a fashion model or two, lounging languid by the bar.
-- Neal Learner
