Michelangelo Ristorante
3005 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City ; 801-466-0961
(see
map)
The modern décor of its new space finally catches up to the straightforward, if expensive, Italian dishes on the large menu.
| Overall |
 |
| Food |
|
| Mood |
|
| Service |
 |
| Kid-friendly |
NO |
| Noise |
 |
|
Cuisine: Italian
Price: $$$
Hours: M-S, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; M-F, 5-9 p.m.; S, 5-10 p.m.
Liquor: --
Corkage: $ 10
Reservations: Accepted
Accepts:    
Website: http://www.michelangeloristorante.com
Recommended Dishes: Whole roasted fish, gnocchi al pomodoro, Milanese di vitello.
August 19, 2009
Not every dish a masterpiece at hit and miss Michelangelo
By Vanessa Chang
Patience isn't my strongest virtue. When I discovered from friends, informants and repeated drive-bys that Michelangelo Ristorante was to occupy a rather large place on Highland Drive, I stayed true to form. I penciled in an opening date and scheduled visits with friends who enjoy a well-executed Italian meal.
When it finally opened earlier this year, before I even had a chance to eat there myself, friends, friends of friends, colleagues and anyone else who had already dined at Michelangelo commented on the experience. What they said made me wait. (Astonishing, I know.)
Even though there was praise for Executive Chef Scott Ashley's daily specials and menu classics and for the larger, more comfortable and stylish location, there were also consistent complaints about the service. Timing, attitude and accuracy were never quite in sync. With experiences of my own, I held off on reviewing the new location.
Now after a few months, I can honestly say that the grievances regarding service are much less severe. But the disclaimer is that for as much as the food and wine list can be good (particularly for a reasonably priced lunch), Michelangelo is still rife with inconsistencies. And no matter what you happen to encounter, it will most likely come with a hefty price tag.
Mind you, I -- like most of Michelangelo's diners -- don't mind spending hard-earned income on a good meal. I'm willing to try a $21 special truffle pizza. I loved the fact that it features thinly sliced fresh truffles but was perplexed as to why it was treated like pepperoni. The potent yet fragile fragrance fades when exposed to Michelangelo's oven. Other successful truffle pizzas I've had blended the preciously small amount of spore with cheese or something with fat to conduct and naturally amplify its flavor.
But then, I loved Michelangelo's whole roasted branzino ($28), which arrived with head and tail. Simply roasted, it evoked the memories of meals on the Mediterranean and the physical promise of savoring the tender cheeks of the medium-sized white fish. Flaky, and well seasoned, it's one of many times at this restaurant where simplicity trumps egotistical flourish. Other "pesce del giorno" vary in price from $14 to $30.
Simplicity, too, is a magnifying lens for good or bad technique. Ashley's gnocchi al pomodoro ($13.95) is a gorgeous example of good technique, accentuated by the bright, basil-spiked namesake tomato sauce. It coats small, tender pillows made of fluffy potatoes, flour and eggs resembling mini-marshmallows in size and shape. The pasta-to-sauce ratio is perfect and proves that this now ubiquitous dumpling-cum-pasta (usually paired with heavy sauces) can shine in a lighter guise.
On the other hand, a caprese salad ($11.95) was too simplistic relative for the price. Granted, it's a larger portion that can be shared among a party of four, but at face value, the small ovals of generic cow's milk mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and olive oil wasn't extraordinary and nothing that couldn't be replicated by most home cooks.
A good Bolognese sauce is harder to come by in home kitchens -- and even some professional ones. Michelangelo's version ($14.95), strewn between long, flat strands of eggy fettuccine, was texturally spot on. But the deep flavors conjured up from hours of low simmering were muted. It needed a good deal of salt along with a grating of cheese to really make it sing.
When I recounted this to a friend who had eaten the same dish, she replied hers was just fine without the addition of salt. But she agreed with me when I mentioned that the spaghetti carbonara special ($13.95), otherwise gorgeous with al dente pasta, generous amounts of smoky bacon and a proper sauce of egg yolks (no cream), needed salt. In my case, the sauce was noticeably runny, the egg yolks still needing time over the stove to transform into the thick sauce that should hug each strand of pasta.
Every dish I tried varied so drastically in seasoning, from the undersalted pasta to a primordially satisfying, juicy, Milanese di vitello ($23.95) to an oversalted saltimbocca ($21.95), I wondered if the chef or anyone in the kitchen is tasting the dishes, particularly the ones made in advance, such as Michelangelo's concise selection of texturally-gratifying desserts.
The saltimbocca's trio of small veal cutlets, pounded thin, sautéed quickly and topped with fontina and prosciutto, would've been perfect if the sauce hadn't been so salty. There's plenty of salt contributed from these ingredients. The inadvertent rescue of bland chunks of roasted potato from the vegetable side dish was a happy discovery.
I pondered all of this in the new dining room -- huge windows that let in an abundance of light, highlighting the clean modern lines and open kitchen space facing the entrance. One man impatiently eyed each passing server, apparently waiting for his group's tab. He tapped his fingers on the table. He made snide comments to his friends. When the bill finally came, he paid without much politeness.
It seems patience isn't his virtue, either.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
February 3, 2006
A true taste of Italy at Michelangelo
By Lesli J. Neilson
In 1996, I returned to Salt Lake after a 4 1/2-year sojourn in Italy. Depressed and longing for anything remotely Italian, I heard about the newly opened Michelangelo Ristorante, in the basement of a business complex in Sugar House. I visited the place many times, relishing the sounds and tastes of the country I had grown to love.
Fast-forward 10 years: Back from culinary school and working in San Francisco, I was curious to see how Michelangelo had aged. The business complex is older, but curiously retro. Now under new ownership, the kitchen is still putting out mostly lusty Italian fare.
Brothers Scott and John Ashley purchased Michelangelo from Paolo Celeste and Marco Gabrielli in 2004. Scott Ashley, who mans the stoves and manages day-to-day operations, continues to use the original owners' recipes, with good reason. Many of the dishes taste like what you would find in Italy, and others could succeed with minor adjustments.
Take the soup special on a recent evening, pappa al pomodoro ($9). Once a poor-man's soup made of tomatoes and day-old bread, this version was neither too thick nor too thin; it exuded warmth and could have made a meal alongside an insalata mista ($3.50 at lunch, $4.50 at dinner).
Insalata caprese ($8 at lunch, $10 at dinner), the mozzarella, tomato and basil triumvirate, is as ubiquitous on Italian menus as tiramisu. Ashley's version arrives with six thick slices of slightly overchilled buffalo mozzarella atop six equally thick slices of mealy, out-of-season tomatoes and basil. Why not remove this antipasto from the menu until tomatoes are in their prime? Prosciutto and melone ($12) could take a seasonal hiatus, too.
When tomatoes are in season, split the gargantuan caprese at least three ways to make room for a main course. Same for the mare caldo ($13.50), a mixture of nicely cooked sweet shrimp, calamari, mussels and clams, intermingling in a mild parsley-flecked white wine sauce. Many of these hearty appetizers (with some prices equal to or higher than main courses) would be better shared or eaten as a main course, which were also hit and miss.
An ample portion of fettuccine bolognese ($8.95 at lunch, $12 at dinner), with a nice sauce-to-pasta ratio, was ideal cold-weather fare. The pasta was al dente and it was evident the meat sauce had been tended for hours to achieve such deep flavors.
Gnocchi (n'YOK-ee) al Gorgonzola ($8.95 at lunch, $12.50 at dinner) did not fare as well. The gnocchi had not reached their fluffy potential and needed more salt, either in the cooking water or from a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano tableside. As for the saltimbocca ($19), the hurried sauce had a raw alcohol flavor and the four veal slices needed more pounding to make them more tender. Fontina cheese, and too much of it, seemed an odd, gooey addition to this classic veal-prosciutto-sage dish. But the accompanying roasted potatoes - shatteringly crisp, well-seasoned and with fluffy insides - and properly cooked, just toothsome green beans were outstanding.
Tiramisu also makes an appearance on the menu. Don't miss Michelango's version ($4 at lunch, $5 at dinner). Ladyfingers, bathed in espresso, are layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa powder, making it much more than a one-bite affair. Other desserts ($4 at lunch, $5 at dinner) were not as successful.
Torta della nonna had a double crust -- with a tough outer edge -- filled with a hefty amount of pastry cream, which was not cooked completely and left a raw flour taste in the mouth. A sprinkling of pine nuts did take it a notch above pedestrian. A woefully firm panna cotta was made with too much gelatin, and the large spoonful of raspberry coulis poured over top masked the dessert's delicate flavor.
Although there are some interesting Italian wines on the list, one that sounded intriguing, the 2002 Cesari "Mara" Ripasso Veneto ($32), was not available. We opted instead for a warmly stored 2002 Plozner Merlot Friuli ($36) that needed a few minutes in the refrigerator; with a quick chill, the wine complemented our main courses. If you bring your own, corkage is $10 for a 750-ml bottle. Ashley recently told me the wine list is being updated. The weathered wine folders also need to be replaced.
The perfect end to any Italian meal is an espresso or, my preference, a macchiato -- espresso with a spot of steamed milk. But it was intensely bitter and undrinkable, most likely the result of too long a pull.
Other quibbles involve the wait staff. Although the restaurant opens at 5:45 p.m., servers were still getting ready -- adjusting ties, tucking in shirts, playing messages on the speakerphone -- at 6 p.m., in front of patrons. Also, I heard Italian servers say things to one another that no server would say in English in front of patrons. Yes, the world is getting smaller. Unprofessionally asking who ordered which dish before placing it in front of a patron also can easily be remedied.
In the restaurant business, attention to detail is key. With an eye to improving minor flaws, Michelangelo Ristorante could transcend its basement location and be a haven for nostalgic Italophiles for another 10 years.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
April 29, 2005
New owner at Michelangelo continues its high standards
By Nancy Hobbs
When the topic of dining comes up with friends and acquaintances, it often turns to a quiz of "bests" in various categories: Asian, Mexican, vegetarian and so on. Michelangelo Ristorante in Sugar House always seems to come up as the banter turns to Italian food, and several people have insisted it's the closest thing available to what they have eaten in Italy.
Having never been to Italy or Michelangelo -- and not having the budget for the former -- I recently visited the latter on a couple of occasions.
My reasons for such a delayed visit were several: Though the restaurant opened 10 years ago, original owner Paulo Celeste did little advertising, and with my sievelike memory, good intentions quickly slipped away. Add to that the restaurant's hidden location as the basement tenant in a Sugar House office complex, and it is truly out-of-sight, so all the further out-of-mind.
But I've recently seen several ads for the restaurant, including one noting that the restaurant is now open for lunch Tuesday through Friday.
The changes, I've learned, are due to new ownership. Scott Ashley, who spent some of his 15-year career at the former Capitol Cafe, was in the market for his own spot. Italian wasn't really on the list, he admitted, but when he saw Michelangelo was for sale, he dropped in to talk to owner/chef Celeste about it.
Celeste was passionate about the food he served, but was more intent on returning to Italy. He talked Ashley into learning how to prepare the Michelangelo specialties, all original recipes from the north coast of Italy, based on the cooking of Celeste's mother and grandmother. Ashley was subsequently persuaded to buy the business, and now is close to his first anniversary.
"I was convinced it was a restaurant I could believe in, because the food is honest and good," Ashley says. "I'm staying true to the food they brought here."
That includes the homemade ravioli stuffed with a variety of fresh and seasonal fillings, such as the goat cheese from Coalville that we ordered. It was simple and delicious, with a light tomato-based sauce.
The spaghetti with calamari and sage came to our table piping hot, which meant it was almost necessary (but pleasurable) to simply enjoy the aroma for a couple of minutes. Again, nothing pretentious, but some of the best pasta I've had, with fresh calamari, and a nice wine-based sauce that was good for dipping the homemade focaccia.
That focaccia also makes a delicious vegetable panini, with grilled eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, melted fresh mozzarella and a generous dousing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Michelangelo's secluded basement location turns out to be the perfect setting for this charming Italian diner, with its linen table cloths, framed posters and Italian mementos. The servers, speaking Italian to each other and English with an irresistible accent with their customers, also add a cosmopolitan air. And though service on our dinner visit at first threatened disaster (it appeared no one wanted to serve our threesome), our server did turn the mood around and was quite charming.
It was our server, in fact, who persuaded us to go beyond tiramisu for dessert and splurge with the torta de la nona -- "grandma's pie" -- and a glass of grappa. The torta has a thin pastry crust, akin to a double-crust pie, with a creamy vanilla custard filling, and the grappa was rich and flavorful.
Having not been to Italy, my take on how "true" the food at Michelangelo is wouldn't hold much sway. I can vouch for it being fresh, delicious and unpretentious, and reasonably priced, with nothing on the menu over $10. That doesn't mean you can't splurge, though: At this writing, Ashley is offering a special risotto with champagne and truffles that is $35 per order.
With the truffles costing him $1,200 per pound, Ashley said he would be in the red charging anything less.
Where: 2156 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City; 801-466-0961
Hours: Lunch served Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; dinner served Tuesday through Saturday, 5:45-9 p.m.
Prices: Entrees from $7 to $10
Liquor: Full liquor Service
Reservations: Accepted
Child's menu: No
Takeout: Yes
Wheelchair accessible: No
Parking: Parking lot off Highland Drive
(west)
Credit cards: All major
|
