When it comes to neighborhood Italian restaurants – the kind of place where the menu is short and simple, and the food solid and reasonably priced – nobody locally does it better than the Italian Kitchen on U.S. 1 just south of the Sebastian business district.
Almost from the day a few years back that Chef Gus took over the space from wife Michelle Hennessey, a former Vero Top Chef who decided to shut down a highly successful restaurant and spend more time with her kids, the Italian Cousin has been packed.
The restaurant has a warm feel – an Italian vibe – and with Gus popping in and out of the kitchen, and Michele hugging and kissing regulars, the atmosphere makes you feel like part of a large family.
When we arrived there last Wednesday evening for our reservation (highly recommended), we were quickly shown to a nice corner table. Our very attentive server, Kelly, brought a basket of wonderful warm, crispy Italian bread and a dish of delicious dipping sauce, and took our order for wine.
For appetizers, I decided to pass up the stuffed clams with bacon, spinach, artichokes and cheese that I have enjoyed previously, and ordered the Prince Edward Island mussels served in a chardonnay-lemon-basil broth ($8.95). My husband went for the flash-fried petite calamari ($7.95).
The calamari, served with a slightly spicy pink sauce, were very good. But the PEI mussels were even better. Our table went through the basket of bread in short order mopping up my delicious broth.
Following the appetizers, my husband and I had salads – the Cousin salad tossed with gorgonzola vinaigrette for me, the Caesar salad with anchovies for him – and our companions opted for bowls of the Italian wedding soup.
Then for entrées, my husband chose veal parmesan ($24.95), one of our companions ordered the linguini in a white clam sauce ($19.95), the other went for the gnocchi with sausage ($18.95), and I decided to try the chicken cacciatore ($18.95).
Interestingly, when three of the entrées were brought to the table, my husband’s veal parmesan was nowhere to be seen. Server Kelly said Chef Gus had not been happy about the way the veal had come out, and decided to prepare another order. I have no idea what happened the first time around, but when the dish arrived, the veal was fork tender and luscious.
My chicken cacciatore was a very nice rendition of this rustic hunter-style chicken stew prepared with fresh tomatoes, olives, and mushrooms and served on a bed of pasta. Our companions also enjoyed both the gnocchi with sausage, and an excellent plate of linguini in clam sauce.
The portions are large here – as you would expect in a neighborhood Italian restaurant – and so on this visit we passed up dessert. In the past, we have enjoyed Michelle’s extremely light tiramisu.
Prices are very reasonable (they actually seem to have gone down a bit in the past year), with many entrées priced from $12.95 to $18.95 (including soup or salad). Dinner for two with a couple of glasses of beer or wine should run in the $60 to $70 area before tax and tip.
This isn’t fancy Italian dining. But it is clearly the best neighborhood Italian place in the area, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you are way overdue for a visit with your Italian Cousin.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.