| Racial
stereotype time. The Italians are awful drivers. Anyone ever ventured
out on the roads there? Good, no argument about that one then. Second stereotype corning up. The Italian restaurant. The ingredients are roughly as follows; First create a little atmosphere. 0 Sole Mio should do it, then we'll let an ear-splitting three hours of Gypsy Kings weave their magic. Bomboleo's your uncle. Cue the proprietor. His job is to hop around singing along to the tape in question and hover over the tables asking how everything is. Some waiting staff from the old country (he's actually franian, but sounds plausibly Latino and the hen parties love his hilarious one-liner about pasta penne) and we're almost ready to go. Food, ah yes, we must have some food. The usual round of pizzas and if anyone wants risotto, just plonk some tomato sauce on some long-grain rice. For wines, Chianti, Lanibrusco and a house selection from the unspeakable depths of the European wine lake. You'll recognize the restaurant in question. You've been there. We've all been there. There are scores of restaurants like it, and they seem to prosper. Why? - we must be pushovers for the easy Mediterranean charm of the Italians. Now for a couple of anti-stereotypes. Number one - Vito Ciaraolo is a steady kind of driver. In fact, I'd describe his progress in a car as irritatingly slow and over-cautious. Secondly, his restaurant does not conform to the standard model. He has made his reputation not on gimmicks but on the quality of the food and wine he serve’s. And quite a legendary reputation it has become. Vito's is an Italian restaurant that loses nothing in the translation. Move it to Italy and it would do well. Move it to chic Ecclesall Road and Vito would be a millionaire. And I don't mean a Lire millionaire. |
As
it is, it's in unfashionable Walkley and therefore has only been discovered
by those willing to fork out for an extra five minutes in the taxi. Anyone
who does so will find unfamiliar delights like smoked sturgeon, cured
wild boar and the best calamari I have had this side of the Adriatic, served fried to golden perfection with a little parsley and lemon (£4.60) On the last visit, I counted eight different varieties of fresh fish, which are served with any one of six different sauces. But being a creature of habit, I opted for Salmone Ricco (£10.40), salmon cooked in a cream, white wine and Pernod sauce, fortified with prawns and mushrooms. Delightful, and as unfailing in quality as the first time I tried it a couple of years ago. 
The kitchen got a bit carried away with the accompanying portions of vegetables,
which are too large for most people's appetites. Better to go easy and
leave room for the excellent Italian cheese selection with which we finished.My companion started with anti pasto del gia-rdiniere (£6.10), a platter of mixed chargrilled vegetables in olive oil |