Italian Food You Can Rely On
Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE
The menu at Gio's Italian Restaurant features (clockwise from bottom) Rack of Lamb, Shrimp Cocktail, Tiramisu and Blackened Grouper Piccata.
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Published: October 30, 2008
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TAMPA - The world could do with a break right now, and some really good Italian comfort food, if you ask me.
It won't solve the credit crisis, or make you feel better about the election or do anything for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
But we could do worse than order up a steaming plate of seafood linguine, lasagna or my run-of-the-mill favorite, chicken parmigiana.
Italian food is nearly timeless, reaching back centuries to the villages and cities of a country that deserves its reputation for passionate food done well.
The kind you find in small shops in Rome or Tuscany is made incredible not by adding exotic ingredients in unusual ways, though that can be fun. Those cafes, trattorias and ristorantes make delicious food by using very fresh ingredients and putting them together well in ways people enjoy.
I think that's why most good Italian restaurants follow a sacrosanct menu structure: antipasti (appetizers), pasta course, carne course (meat), dessert.
For all that, we went to a well-hidden, nondescript but deserving little restaurant called Gio's in Tampa. It provided the right selections, delicious food and good service. Add some nice touches -- such as waiters in black and white uniforms, rows of wine bottles and photos of Sophia Loren on the walls -- and you have a well-done standard.
Let's start with the first amazing dish: a plate of pasta with Alfredo sauce that I can only describe as "angelic." Most Alfredo sauces are thick, white and kind of pasty. But the Gio's version starts off rich and seems to keep changing -- buttery, then light, then creamy and nutty, then buttery again. You want to stop and savor each bite for a few moments -- and that's something for any meal.
My rigatoni Tutto Buono came with a rich, red marinara sauce, chicken, Italian sausage, mushrooms and two neat touches: red roasted pepper and spinach. Together, it's like eating your way into "The Godfather."
Skipping to dessert, we went for the true standard, tiramisu, which can be very loosely translated as "pull me up," or perhaps, more appropriately, "cheer me up." It's a light dish with strips of cake, dipped in espresso or liqueur and covered with an impossibly airy mascarpone cream, then dusted with cocoa powder.
Add a cup of espresso or cappuccino and your mind is already in Rome.
With any restaurant, the service can make a bad meal worse, or make a good meal a wonderful experience.
Good restaurants know parents already go through a lot to haul the kids to and fro -- especially to a restaurant -- and parents truly appreciate helpful staff.
Here, Gio's excelled. When we asked about a kids menu, the waiter didn't groan or wonder why we brought a 5-year-old to a nice restaurant anyway. (We went very early to avoid bugging anyone else.) Instead, he offered to make anything we liked -- an entree only smaller, or simple pasta with not-so-spicy red sauce, or even chicken fingers if we wanted.
If you're into experimental Italian, this might not be your kind of place. The Tampa Bay area has a few great, very modern Italian restaurants -- the kind of places that mix Italian with Thai, or try to present food in exotic shapes that look like glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.
This is not that kind of place. Gio's excels at traditional Italian done well.
I mentioned Gio's is easily missed. Here's why: It's tucked in an already well-hidden shopping center at the corner of Waters Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway. You could drive past 100 times and not spot the place.
But Gio's is worth finding.
DINING REVIEW
Gio's Italian Restaurant
WHERE: 3621 W. Waters Ave., Tampa
HOURS: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday-Sunday
CREDIT CARDS: All major
RESERVATIONS: Recommended
CHILDREN'S MENU: Yes
ALCOHOL: Beer and wine list
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
PRICE: Entrees $17 to $25
CALL: (813) 932-1922
Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919.
