Say 'Salute' at Gabbiano's Wine Bar
Cafe Gabbiano host Pietro Migliaccio likes nothing better than to share a glass or two of wine and a chat with some of his many regular customers.
The cordial owner/chef says he has come "to Siesta Key through New York from Ischia, with love" with his 6-year-old Cafe Gabbiano, located at Siesta Key Village’s Davidson Plaza.
Migliaccio left the beautiful isle of Ischia in the Bay of Naples in 1969 and relocated to New York, where he worked in several well-known restaurants.
He opened Mamma Lucia’s, a Brooklyn neighborhood cafe, in 1981, and in that same year the New York Times named it Restaurant of the Year. Later, Mimi Sheridan gave it four stars, and Pavarotti praised it on national television, lauding the best fettucine Alfredo he had ever tasted.
Gabbiano’s Wine Club and Wine Bar offers special tastings and 7-course dinners for its members.
Such is the pedigree of Gabbiano (which means "seagull" in Italian). Pietro, a classically trained chef who once cooked on the legendary Italian Line cruise ships, opened the cafe with his wife Susan in October 2003.
Now he has expanded the cafe to dedicate more space to another of his passions – wine.
Gabbiano’s Wine Club and Wine Bar, just next to the cafe, offers exclusive weekly wine tastings, wholesale prices on bottles of wine and other Italian gourmet items, and special Tavolas, food and wine pairing 7-course dinners with five wines.
With almost 500 members already subscribed, Pietro has but a few places left and is in the process of carving out some more space for the Wine Bar.
Members get first dibs and free entry to all the events; guests may attend as space is available for a fee.
Not surprisingly, 70 percent of Gabbiano’s cellar is dedicated to Italian wines like the popular "Super Tuscans," with 20 percent French and the remainder drawn from vineyards in the New World – California and Oregon, South America, South Africa and Australia.
Many are rare, and many more are limited production bottles rarely offered to an American market. Vintages range from 1875 to a young fruity Sauvignon Blanc.
At the cafe, Gabbiano has been committed to maintaining the same high standards as Mamma Lucia’s, Migliaccio says. All pasta is cooked al dente, veal is hand-cut, and fresh mozzarella is made daily.
Wine Bar customers and members may dine there, or move next door to the cafe. Gabbiano’s displays its artistry with nightly dinner specials, such as the Roman saltimbocca, osso buco or salmon Livornese (with capers, olives and white wine).
Dinner might start with calamari, homemade bruschetta, mussels in white wine or the classic mozzarella caprese (mostly $9-$10). Even the roasted peppers are made in-house.
Pasta lovers will find their favorites, including linguine Pescatore (calamari and shellfish), lasagne or eggplant parmigiana and the fettucini Alfredo that the great tenor loved. These "prima piatti" average $18
Veal is a star performer at Gabbiano. Cut from the leg for a range of dishes, it is prepared ala Milanese, piccata and, in the house special Mamma Lucia-style with Marsala, wild mushrooms and mozzarella.
Seafood and chicken dishes are also on offer, ranging from tilapia di pietro to pollo ala cacciatore. Entrees come with pasta, salad or vegetables and range from about $22.
House-made tiramisu and cheesecakes are on offer, as well as pasta e fagioli, minestrone and several other soups each week.
Special requests are filled whenever possible. "We will make changes as we go," said Pietro. "I am very open-minded."