SECOND HELPINGS
DiGiulio & Co.
By Kevin Purdy; photos by kc kratt

Calamari at Digiulio & Co.
One of the first things I learned about Buffalo’s restaurant scene upon moving here was that there is perhaps no phrase as useless as “that Italian place on Hertel,” unless it’s “that bar with the great beef-on-weck.”

But I had thought a restaurant backed by a family with sixty years of history in Buffalo would garner some kind of recognition among experienced Buffalo chow-hounds. Surprisingly, only a few of my foodie friends could say DiGiulio & Co. “sounds familiar,” and only one said he “probably had” stopped in. It’s somewhat understandable, given the small street-front profile of DiGiulio & Co., which opened in 2006 on a Hertel Avenue heavy with heavy competition. But this restaurant with its distinctive decor and appealing menu deserves a closer look, especially after a recent revamping.

My wife and I arrived at an empty DiGiulio’s on a weekday night in late November excellent for getting a good look at the place. The usual dark, lush atmosphere of formal Italian dining is there, but the sheer level of detail will take a while to take in. It starts when you walk past the classic bar and bottle collection, evocative of the kind of spot Sinatra would’ve patronized when he stopped in town. Seated in dark leather and framed by dark wood with brass accents, you can’t help but stare at all that steel in the open-window kitchen and gaze up through the sizable skylights.

By the time you’ve taken your first look around, fresh, warm bread has arrived, served with plate-scraping pesto and butter by a friendly staff. In between bites, my wife and I managed to order appetizers of crisp calamari and stuffed hot peppers, although the roasted beets with goat cheese, pine nuts, and balsamic syrup were barely edged out. While I’m not much of a wine list critic, DiGiulio’s seems at least at par with other local Italian restaurants.

The interior of Digiulio & Co.
The twin peppers that arrived on my plate could only loosely be termed “stuffed,” and they had a bit too much oil left on. While their blend of ricotta and other cheese with bread crumbs was smooth, the thin amount left the peppers hotter than some may be willing to stomach.

The calamari was, unfortunately, the disappointment of the night. I’ve had quite a bit of squid around the area and keep tabs on those places that do it well, but the DiGiulio plate, while substantial in volume, was composed of small pieces, a standard red sauce, and breading that evoked cheap fried clam strips more than Mediterranean simplicity. The house salads, on the other hand, were fine: fresh fare with solid vinaigrettes.

A capon breast entrée no longer on the menu was served over polenta, a dark, reduced tomato sauce, and topped with sautéed spinach. There are, to be sure, more creatively composed, multisourced dishes on the DiGiulio menu, but capon is a rare bird on my plate, and this dish had everything going for it. The moist rooster meat paired for a hearty bite with the sauce-spiked polenta, and the spinach retained a good bit of garlic and wine flavor.

My wife opted for angel hair pasta, served with (inhale) shrimp, artichokes, spinach, pesto, and goat cheese, tossed in white wine and toasted bread crumbs (whew). She thought her plate lacked a prominent flavor note for all the heavyweights contained inside it. I agreed somewhat, but I thought each component hit the plate at the right stage of cooking.

Splitting a single crème brûlée was all we could attempt to take on after the plates were cleared away, but the restaurant’s ramekins are as big around as grapefruits. I found myself scraping the sides to get at the last bits of crystallized sugar, while my wife agreed they’d made a notable version of an increasingly rote dessert.

You pay something of an obvious premium for the fare at DiGiulio & Co., and the evidence is all around you. The high-line decor, the professional wait staff and efficient kitchen, the general atmosphere of confident hospitality: this is why you’re paying north of $120 for dinner for two, although we didn’t really need separate appetizers, or dessert for that matter.

What DiGiulio & Co. has may not be completely unique on its strip. But you’ll leave with a greater appreciation for old-fashioned, high-end Italian cuisine.

DiGiulio & Co.
1673 Hertel Ave., Buffalo
446-1673

Kevin Purdy is a freelance writer and Associate Editor at Lifehacker.com who lives in Buffalo.


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