A year ago, my search for a great cioppino took me to San Francisco. Last week, I found an excellent rendition of this City-by-the-Bay classic at Trattoria Dario on Vero’s South Beach.
The kitchen at this attractively decorated upscale Italian restaurant on south Ocean Drive is now in the hands of Chef Gregorio Silipo, and the first hint that one of my favorite dishes might now be found there came when, on a visit a couple of weeks ago, we belatedly learned he had previously founded a well-regarded restaurant in the Palm Beaches named – you guessed it – Il Cioppino.
Hmmm, I thought: Got to give his cioppino a try. So last Wednesday, we returned to Trattoria Dario on a mission.
Proprietor Dario Bordoli, as usual, was at the front door to greet us, and while on our previous visit we had opted for a table out on the seaside patio, on this chilly March evening we decided to dine in the red dining room.
Even before we placed our wine order, our veteran server Bernardo brought us a basket of hot bread out of the oven and a dish of olive oil and herbs.
While I probably would have voted to go straight to the cioppino, my husband insisted we have appetizers since on our previous visit, he had fallen in love with the grilled octopus ($18). A bit expensive, yes. But these slices of octopus were oh-so-tender, and served with cannellini beans sautéed with onions and cherry tomatoes over arugula. A sensational starter.
I, meantime, started with half of a beet salad ($8), a tasty crisp mix of roasted gold and red beets, arugula, fennel, oranges segments, mint flavored candied pistachio nuts and goat cheese, with a delightful light citrus dressing.
Then for entrées, I ordered the cioppino ($34), my husband chose one of the evening’s specials, grouper Livornese ($39), and our companion opted for the pappardelle Bolognese ($23).
My husband’s medallions of fresh black grouper were perfectly pan-seared with garlic, white wine, olives and capers in a light cherry tomato sauce. An excellent dish. And our companion gave high marks to her pappardelle, served in a classic Northern Italian tomato sauce with veal and pork.
But my cioppino was the prize of the night. For those not familiar with cioppino, this dish supposedly was invented by fishermen who would toss their leftover catch into a pot at the end of the day. Just about every cioppino starts with tomato sauce and shellfish, but the exact recipe varies considerably from place to place.
Dario’s version of this maritime stew was an array of calamari, shrimp, diver scallops, mussels, clams, cherry tomatoes and carrots, served in a light broth. The seafood was very fresh and tender, and the broth was well seasoned and extremely flavorful. Happily, the dish was served with slices of grilled bread, which was perfect for mopping up the broth.
On our previous visit, I enjoyed sogliolamugaia ($44), imported Dover sole pan-seared with a scampi sauce and toasted almonds, and my husband savored the grilled veal chop San Gimignano ($45), a 16-ounce center-cut veal chop topped with sautéed wild mushrooms in a rosemary-white wine-truffle sauce.
We concluded our visits with slices of Baba Cake and Chocolate Fondant – both house-made and $9 each. Dinner for two with a glass or two of wine is likely to run $120-$150 before tax and tip.
In its fifth year, Trattoria Dario – which was packed last week when we visited on a Wednesday night – has become a favorite restaurant of many island residents. If you haven’t tried it, both the cioppino and the grilled octopus appetizer strongly suggest an early visit.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of this newspaper.
