By Steve Cooper
The Foodie Foursome
Steve Cooper
A new restaurant, Mangiare Italian, opened in June on the Post Road in Milford, and a stone’s throw from Orange. Chef and owner Adrien Gjonbaloj chose the intimate space previously occupied by several restaurants directly across from PC Richards.
Gjonbaloj’s rich culinary history includes Adrianna’s in New Haven and Sienna Restaurant in Westport.
Cindy and I were there with friends John and Christine. Upon arrival, I saw a decades-old friend and fellow Rotarian Barry Bonessi. He was there with several veterans honoring their service on what was Veterans Day evening.
The space exudes a sense of elegance that carries through from service, menu and attention to detail. The simplicity of the décor works well with the restaurant’s “home-style” elegance. Our server was very attentive throughout our culinary exploration. From the spacious dark wood bar to the cloth covered tables and cloth napkins, we anticipated a great night out.
We started out with a round of drinks featuring an espresso martini, cosmo and wine. Gjonbaloj is also a sommelier. The fresh Italian bread was served with both olive oil and an eggplant pâté that was a nice spread. I added a little olive oil and salt to my taste, which had me eating way more bread than I should have.
On this evening, we went with a chef’s choice of appetizers, which turned out to be great from start to finish for a classic Italian feast prepared like a well-trained nonna. This home-style sophistication started with a hot antipasto. The combination of eggplant rollatini, stuffed mushrooms and clams oreganata was the perfect opening act. It was as tasty across the board as it was pretty on the serving platter. The eggplant was very tender with a nice texture, while the mushrooms took on a hearty bite with a tasteful bread stuffing. The clams oreganata (Italian baked stuffed clams) was the perfect way to invite your palate to an Italian adventure. The clams had a flavorful mixture of crispy breadcrumbs, oregano, fresh parsley and garlic. This was followed by large meatballs smothered in house marinara. The consistency of these meatballs, made with three types of beef, had amazing structure and taste.
Our next course was a traditional Caesar salad. This was not just a served salad; it was expertly prepared “tableside” by Gjonbaloj. It was created with the freshest of ingredients and balanced to our individual tastes. This was again, an elegant yet simple salad and a nice transition to the entrées.
The first entrée was a branzino filet with white wine, capers and cherry tomatoes that had finesse and balance with an incredibly fresh and perfectly prepared sea bass. The next entrée was the New York strip. This cut, from the beef short loin, features a bold and beefy flavor. It is the larger strip of beef attached to the bone on a porterhouse or T-bone steak. This was an amazing cut of beef that had to be at least 2 inches thick. This again was seared in the kitchen and then brought tableside, ready to cook to each of our temperature requests. It was sliced into serving-sized strips and cooked in a sizzling hot pan with oil and clarified butter. After it was prepared, each slice was then skillfully cut into medallions and served, topped with herb butter, and a very tasty gorgonzola cream sauce.
The veggies were served family style as a hearty serving of roasted potatoes and pan-seared green beans. The beans were tender with a nice crunch, and the potatoes had a great seasoned crust and “pillowy” interior.
We ended our round of entrées with a true Italian classic: penne with the house-made marinara. It worked because of its simplicity and the quality ingredients. The penne was cooked al dente and finished in the fresh sauce for a perfectly prepared pasta dish.
We ended the evening with a dessert platter that was incredible. The tiramisu was one of the best I have had this year, the tres leches was perfectly moist with great structure, and the tartufo (Italian ice cream covered with chocolate) was a refreshing finish, with dollops of fresh whipped cream to top it all off.
Magiare Italian is open Tuesday and Friday from noon to 9 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The restaurant is located at 1573 Boston Post Rd. Become one of the family, enjoy your dining experience, and call for a reservation at 475-327-7114.
Steve Cooper is a local, national and international award-winning photographer, culinary influencer and executive director of the Milford Performance Center. Contact him at 203-723-3672.