Publication Date: Friday, February 11, 2005
Lackluster Italian
Lackluster Italian
(February 11, 2005) Bland cuisine disappoints at Angelo Mio
by Dale F. Bentson
A handsome space is what first catches your eye at Angelo Mio. The exterior facade features warm wood paneling and the cozy faux Italianate interior highlights a vaulted ceiling, antiqued tiles and wall hangings, comfortable seating and contemporary lighting. Neat white linens grace the tables and booths and a small but adequate bar anchors the dining room from the kitchen. It could very well pass for a ristorante in Florence, Siena or Orvieto.
It's a shame much of the food is flavor-starved.
Italian cuisine is amongst the tastiest in the world but that is not evident at Angelo Mio, which first opened in 1997 as Scala Mia, House of Garlic. After separating from his partner in 2001, owner Emilio Demirkol reopened the restaurant as Angelo Mio.
The food is not bad -- but almost everything is uniformly ordinary. For starters, the Funghi Marinato ($7.95) could have excelled had the kitchen used any of the myriad of fresh, vastly more interesting, mushrooms that are available in the market. Instead they chose button (crimini) mushrooms, those innocuous fungi that grace salad bars and Denny's veggie omelets. The olive oil, garlic, parsley and goat cheese that topped the dish could not raise it above mediocrity.
Carciofo Bollito ($7.95) was a large, fresh-steamed artichoke that should have had the seasoned bread crumbs interlaced with the leafy vegetable. Instead, the bread crumbs were heaped into the center of the thistle, making it dry and unappealing. The tame vinaigrette added nothing to enliven the dish.
The Carpaccio ($7.95) was good but nothing special: paper-thin slices of raw beef dotted with olive oil and shaved Parmesan with arugula and lemon wedges on the plate. The calamari ($5.95) was also ordinary. The fried little morsels of squid were on the rubbery side -- either not fresh or overcooked. The vinaigrette that accompanied was run-of-the-mill.
The soft polenta, which appeared as the focal point or an accompaniment in a variety of dishes, was a winner. Polenta with sausages ($11.95) offered vaguely spicy meat and fresh vegetables beneath a marinara sauce. The warm cornmeal was the consistency of cream of wheat and just as comforting.
As an appetizer, polenta e verdure ($5.95) was paired with sautéed broccoli, carrots, spinach and an occasional slice of eggplant. More intriguing vegetables -- rather than leftovers from the kitchen -- would have considerably elevated this dish.
Angelo Mio offers an array of pasta dishes. Fettuccini Angelo Mio ($11.95) was dressed in a rich cream sauce laden with shiitake mushrooms -- a mushroom that is not indigenous to Italian cuisine. The chopped pancetta (Italian bacon) and onions were overwhelmed by the meaty, smoky shiitakes.
Penne Carcerata ($10.95) featured grilled, mild Italian sausage, roasted red bell peppers and chili flakes in a flat-tasting tomato sauce. This dish was so timid it could well have been a Lean Cuisine product. Detectable garlic, spicier sausage, oregano or more chili flakes were needed.
Penne con pollo ($10.95) included chunks of tender chicken, bell peppers, olives and roasted garlic in tomato sauce. At least here the olives and tomato sauce infused the dish with a spark of life. I would have needed a Geiger counter to detect any garlic though.
Thin slices of tender veal cooked in red wine and veal stock, along with slices of porcini mushrooms and fresh vegetables, comprised the Veal Porcini ($16.95). The porcinis added a slightly pungent, woodsy flavor and aroma to the dish.
One evening, I overheard a nearby diner exclaim that Angelo Mio had the best veal piccata he had ever had. The praise was overly generous -- any professional chef can make that dish drunk and blindfolded, in my opinion. So long as the veal is tender, which it was, and cooked just through, which it was, the butter, lemon and caper sauce add the richness to the dish. Angelo Mio's preparation was flawless ($16.95).
I ordered the Pollo Adriatico ($13.95), which was supposed to be sauteed chicken breast with eggplant, black olives, tomatoes and spinach. The dish I was served had the chicken, a couple of olives and scant eggplant, spinach or tomatoes. It came with soft polenta, whipped potatoes and a gravy that reminded me of something the Colonel might have made. It was a hearty plate of food devoid of its Adriatic heritage.
Angelo Mio, which also bills itself as "The House of Garlic," must have been short a few bulbs during my visits. Scant traces of garlic were detectable in a few dishes but nothing remarkable or memorable. Also missing in action was any semblance of oregano, basil, fennel, rosemary, sage or marjoram -- hallmarks of Italian cuisine.
Desserts were pedestrian as well, although the cioccolata tart ($6.95) was the best on the menu. Dense, ganache-like chocolate (chocolate cooked with heavy cream) was layered with Italian ice cream. It was like a cold, pie-shaped fudge sundae. The tiramisu ($5.95) was less successful, lacking even the slightest hint of espresso. It was just a sweet, creamy cake.
The Angelo Mio ($5.75) resembled the chocolate tart but substituted strawberry mousse for the chocolate. The mousse was like frozen Dream Whip sandwiched between two layers of vanilla ice cream. Poached pears ($5.95) were undercooked, making them tough to chew. The fruit were only saved by the accompanying scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I had no complaints with the attentive, professional service. The waiters took great pains to make diners comfortable. Pacing of the meals was excellent, tables were promptly bussed and water glasses quickly refilled.
The reasonably priced, well-thought-out wine list included selections primarily from California and Italy although that ubiquitous, apparently ever-popular Australian Shiraz was also available. There were a dozen or so Tuscan wines (Chiantis and other Sangioveses), as well as several Piedmont offerings (Barolos). Full bar service is available.
To dine Italian should be a memorable occasion for your palate, slowly savored over a bottle of wine or two with good conversation. Perhaps it is not Angelo Mio but its clientele that dictates the blandness of the dishes. With so many fresh and exciting ingredients available in the Bay Area it is distressing to witness a magnificent cuisine reduced to such ordinary straits.
Reservations: yes
Credit cards: yes
Parking: city lots
Alcohol: full bar
Highchairs: yes
Outdoor dining: yes
Party and banquet facilities: yes
Take-out: yes
Catering: no
Noise level: moderate
Bathroom cleanliness: good
Angelo Mio, 820 Santa Cruz Ave. in Menlo Park; (650) 323-3665; www.ristoranteangelomio.com.
Hours: Lunch Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Lunch Sunday 12-2:30 p.m.; Dinner Monday-Sunday 4:30-9 p.m.
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