Caffe Biaggio

Tonight BARF-SUAVE had a chance to sample the foods of Caffe Biaggio. This was an outing with our spouses, so we had to refrain from checking the texture of food with our fingers, belching the Belgian national anthem, and making obnoxious comments about things that did not meet our high standards. We kept it civil.

On the way to Biaggio's, which is located at 2356 University Avenue, St. Paul MN 55114 we enjoyed the almost finished lanes on either side of the Central Corridor light rail. We arrived without a reservation but were promptly seated by the friendly maitre d'. One interesting detail which I remember from earlier visits is the availability of loaner reading glasses at the front counter. Decifering the small print on a menu in dark surroundings can be a challenge for people in our age category. In the current instance, this crutch for the weak-eyed was hardly necessary for neither was the print small nor was it a candle-lit place. Not overly bright, but, like my dad used to say, with "enough light to see what you're eating."

Caffe Biaggio is run by John D'Agostino and Shari Breed. As the son of Giovanna (better known to the locals as Mama D), John is a restaurateur of some pedigree. Mama D passed away in 2009 and John, with Shari, carries on the legacy with a menu that borrows from simple Italian country cooking.

We started the meal with a glass of chardonnay for the ladies, a New Castle Brown for Joel and a Martini for myself. No complaints, the wine wasn't corked, the ale wasn't flat and the martini was well mixed.

For appetizers we selectedMixed Marinated Olives, deep-fried ($7) and Arancine ("little oranges"), deep-fried risotto balls filled with mozarella ($9). If you ask me, this is the kind of appetizer I'd expect at a sports bar, but I won't complain because I did not make the selection and there were more high-falutin options available. Furthermore, the appetizers were tasty!

This was followed by salad, roasted beets with walnuts, gorgonzola & warm fig vinaigrette over greens ($8 for the small plate) for Lynn and me while Peggy and Joel opted to split the butternut squash with bacon, cranberries, pecans and warm cider dressing over greens, ($8). The salads received high praise from everyone present.   I personally do have a weak spot for beets and while I am not a big fan of blue cheese, the presence of the Gorgonzola was understated and pleasantly harmonized with the sweetness of the fig vinaigrette.

We ordered a bottle of the chardonnay and soon thereafter our main plates arrived. Peggy and Joel had picked the Mediterramean red snapper with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and red onions atop red pepper polenta corn cake ($17). Both agreed that the fish was just OK, its consistency not being very flaky and both thought the taste was pretty bland.  However, they found the polenta that came with the fish outstanding.

It seems that Lynn and I picked better. Lynn had opted for the cioppino, the San Francisco version of various regional Italian fisherman's stews ($24). In this case it was of shrimp, scallops, crab, lobster, mussels served with garlic bruschetta. I had a chance to sample the stew and found the flavor delicious. Lynn loved it. The bruschetta looked delicious too, it was thickly covered with pureed roast garlic.
I had the osso bucco, the famous braised veal shank ($24). It was perfectly executed, served over farro cooked risotto style. As it should, the meat was moist and falling off the bone. a little fork poked out of the hollow part of the bone, an invitation to get at the delicious marrow. The flavorful broth permeated the farro, which had a crunchy consistency and a nutty flavor.

My only regret for this dinner was that because of the amount of food we were unable to sample the dessert menu.