About a decade ago, people stopped asking that question. With Chianti serving as the granddaddy restaurant of downtown Beverly, Cabot Street has becoming a North Shore dining destination.
On a recent Sunday night, we returned to Chianti and confirmed that it is one of the best Italian restaurants in the area. The food, service and ambience are superb.
This is a place where chefs, kitchen, and wait staff work for a decade at a time. They stay here for the same reason loyal customers return: They love everything about the place. Marino will go to the extra mile for anybody here. On occasion, he'll drive over to the train station to pick up diners from Boston who come just for his food. Bill Cosby has Marino's cellphone number and sometimes calls his order in. The comedian Jackie Mason has sat in the main dining room, and to the delight of fellow diners, worked the room, going from table to table.
We were seated inside the main dining room, where Whose Muddy Shoes - a quartet that plays everything from bluegrass to traditional jazz - entertains every Sunday. The mellow music and harmonies, combined with the white tablecloths and soft conversations, suggested Manhattan more than Beverly, and more than once I had to ask if this was really the North Shore I have always known.
Decades ago, when I grew up here, the only place where they served Italian food like this was inside friends' homes. We began with appetizers, choosing il portabella ($9), carciolo ($7), and gnocchi del casentino ($9).
Chianti is known for its sauces, and judging from the appetizers, they were as consistent as ever. The grilled portabella fillets, served over baby spinach and roasted red peppers, were large and tasted like good steak. The carcioli, lightly fired artichoke hearts topped with a roasted pepper, were sweet and filling. The gnocchi potato dumplings also were perfect. Made with wild greens, Parmesan, and ricotta cheese, they're served in a Gorgonzola cream sauce, an exotic, pungent offering that made the dumplings anything but peasant food.
