RISTORANTE
GIOIA
REVIEW
From the Boston Globe
November 12, 2006
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RISTORANTE GIOIA REVIEW From the Boston Globe November 12, 2006 |
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140 Washington Street |
A little joy from Italy transposed to Salem
It's easy to be deceived by the staid brick building in downtown Salem -- especially when you're standing outside of Ristorante Gioia. Save for the red neon sign, the basket of wine bottles, and two discreet Italian flags in the window, you'd never know Italian |
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Salem, Mass. 01970 |
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Phone: |
978-744-7333 |
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| Fax: | 978-744-5757 | |
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Monday |
Closed |
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Italian flags in the window, you'd never know Italian food was available inside.
Gioia means joy in Italian, and that's the word the restaurant's owner and chef, Vito Santangelo, recalls hearing from his aunts and uncles when they pinched his cheeks as a child.
Santangelo who was born in a village near Palermo, Sicily, and came to East Boston in 1974 when he was 10, dreamed about opening a restaurant when he worked in local kitchens. But in 1982 he put aside the dream when he decided to become a sheet metal worker. Last year, newly unemployed, the Peabody man bought the former Boca Italiana and created a new menu. Next month Santangelo will mark his first year in Salem, and sop far, he says, he can't complain about his reception.
On the night we visited last week, the long narrow dining room, which seats 46, was quiet, Santangelo said his restaurant has been full during the month of October.
We began with Brushettone ($5.95), warm, sliced bread topped with tomatoes, sweet onions, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, fennel seed, and basil. This was a fine offering that was filling and more than enough for our party of three.
A glass of the house red wine ($6), from the Montepulciano section of Tuscany in central Italy, was above average and went well with the Brushettone and a Caesar salad ($5.95). The salad was a large portion filled with tin, memorable croutons.
Among the entrees, the pan-seared salmon ($15.95) was a delicious 8-ounce fillet topped with artichoke, lemons, sage, and capers. It was served with a side dish of fettuccine Alfredo, which proved to be extraordinary. Rather than using butter and light cream, Santangelo makes the Alfredo with ricotta and milk, creating a creamy, light, and rich sauce.
A grilled veal chop ($17.95) was served with fresh rosemary and garlic and topped with port wine sauce. The veal was accompanied by steamed carrots and cauliflower.
For dessert, we chose a cannoli ($5) and the turtle dove cheese cake ($5). Santangelo, who spent much of his youth in Boston's North End, buys his desserts from the Modern Pastry Shop in the old neighborhood. We were not disappointed, and we discussed the influx of new restaurants in downtown Salem over cappuccino ($4).
Except for the food and a framed picture of Venice, there's not a lot in the ambience that suggests Italy. But, if your tastes run to rich Italian fare, you'll enjoy a visit to Ristorante Gioia |
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Tuesday |
4:30 |
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10:00 |
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Wednesday |
4:30 |
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10:00 |
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Thursday |
4:30 |
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10:00 |
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Friday |
4:30 |
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10:00 |
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Saturday |
4:30 |
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10:00 |
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Sunday |
3:30 |
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9:00 |
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