The Central Florida culinary community sniggered a bit when Greg Gentile opened his multifaceted restaurant, Antonio’s La Fiamma, in Maitland. He had taken a one-story building that was once part of the Bonanza Sirloin Pit steakhouse chain and added a second floor to it. Downstairs, he installed an Italian deli that served sandwiches, pizzas and other casual foods, plus an Italian market with imported goods and a retail wine shop. Upstairs was a full-service, more formal restaurant serving fine Italian dishes.
The sniggerazzi whispered that there was very little chance Gentile could recoup the considerable expenses the project must have cost.
Thirty-four years later, look who’s laughing now?
How did Gentile make it work? The short answer is through pure genius. The long answer involves the same elements that are necessary for any restaurant to succeed: offering good quality food and excellent service.
The real genius part of the concept was with the downstairs deli/market/wineshop. Gentile placed tables and chairs throughout the market space’s already cramped aisles, creating a cozy and comfortable area for casual assignations. It was great marketing, too, placing the diners among the goods for sale.
But the really brilliant idea was that diners were invited to choose a wine from the shelves or from the refrigerated cooler to enjoy with their meals and pay the retail price with no added corkage fee. They sold a lot of wine that way.
I’ve been focusing recently on restaurants that have been around almost as long as I have, so I returned for dinner at Antonio’s (the La Fiamma seems to have been dropped) with a group of friends.
We dined upstairs, mainly because the tables in the deli wouldn’t have accommodated our group, but also because the Magical Dining menu was pretty tempting. The space has changed from what I remember. In my original review of August 1990, I commented that everything was so bright that “it’s the first place I’ve ever eaten where snow blindness is a concern.”
Walls now have a Tuscan sunburnt hue, and booths with mottled glass dividers create a somewhat more intimate atmosphere.
The food was as good as it has always been.
Actually, there was one notable exception. In that first review of ’90, I noted that the fish of the day, a swordfish, was the only real disappointment. On this recent visit, it was the standout dish among an array of stellar offerings.
The swordfish steak, from the Pacific, was thick and perfectly grilled over wood, which gave it a slight smoky note. It sat on a ploof of nutty risotto and was topped by pulpy ragu of tomatoes and artichoke hearts. It was as satisfying a dish as I’ve had in a long time. (In that first review, I also complained about what I considered prices “one or two dollars” more than necessary. Today’s swordfish had a market price of $38, which was fair for the portion and the quality, but an incredible bargain as part of the Magical Dining three-course $40 menu.)
One of my companions had the pasta of the day, which featured penne tossed with bits of salmon, roasted peppers and mushrooms in a tomatoey vodka sauce tinged with a bit of cream.
Aged New York strip steak might not have shown off the creativity of executive chef Jake Jesseman, but the 14-ounce cut was cooked to a perfect medium rare beneath a well-seasoned crust.
Several of the appetizers were standouts. I enjoyed the roasted eggplant and tomato caprese, with buffalo milk mozzarella playing nicely with both tomatoes and grilled eggplant.
Fried calamari had delicate jackets of light breading, crisply fried.
Stuffed artichokes were filled with creamy goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto, served on bright green arugula.
And burrata was served in a meaty bowl of prosciutto with cherry tomatoes.
For dessert, the Valentino was a hit, with brandy-spiked chocolate ganache served in a tulip cup fashioned out of Belgian chocolate.
Service was as professional as I remembered it being 34 years ago.
And Gentile was there, too. Another hallmark of a successful restaurant is the participation of a caring owner. He was a gracious host, and not once did he say, “See, I told you so.”
Antonio’s is at 611 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland (map). It is open for lunch and dinner daily. The phone number is 407-645-1039.
