At Donato's, service with an Italian smile
Donato Coluccio, the former executive chef at the Capital Grille, Downtown now has a restaurant to call his own.
In mid-June, Coluccio and co-owner David Tesone opened Donato's in the space formerly occupied by Franco's Ristorante in the Fox Chapel Plaza strip mall on Freeport Road.
Named chef of the year in 2003 by the American Culinary Federation, Coluccio is a 1991 graduate of the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Art.
According to Coluccio, Tesone wanted to open a restaurant that would serve residents from Fox Chapel, Aspinwall and the surrounding communities.
Though open less than three months, the restaurant appears to be attracting a lot of the same people who were regulars at the Capital Grille, Coluccio says.
Coluccio's aim is to have an upscale-but-relaxed restaurant that makes everyone feel comfortable. Everyone, from businesspeople to families with children, is welcome.
"We're not trying to have an Italian bistro or anything crazy, just quality food with an Italian spin on it," he says. "If someone is spending money, they can do whatever they want. What we want to do is make them happy."
Former Franco's customers are unlikely to recognize the dining room. Coluccio says the space was rebuilt from the ground up, including the addition of big, new windows that bring light into the dining room through slatted window blinds.
The large main dining room feels formal, restrained and a bit bland with lots of dark wood, black and white photos of Italy and wallpaper in muted stripes.
Wooden surfaces and a lack of draperies or rugs make it noisy and hard to hear when the dining room is busy.
It's a white tablecloth world where both male and female waitstaff are formally dressed in black, fitted pants and jackets and white shirts that resemble tuxedos.
The staff works hard to provide a quality experience. But they're not yet working smoothly. Little mishaps -- a forgotten salad, sauce accidentally dripped into the bread basket by a server, a plate of discarded bones that remained through dessert and long after other dishes had been cleared -- were among the glitches.
Lightening the formal atmosphere is a brightly lit, open kitchen that offers a window into the restaurant's inner workings. Patrons' apparel runs the gamut from shorts and polo shirts to business suits or special occasion dresses, so wear whatever makes you most comfortable.
Dining choices are simultaneously simple and complex.
Aside from some featured items, diners first choose from meat, fish or pasta, and then are given the choice of how they would like it prepared and what they would like to accompany it.
The simplest route is to go with one of the features, such as Ossobucco ($32), a meaty, tender veal shank that was served with a creamy saffron risotto and some fresh-tasting, lemony gremolata.
Those who opt for veal ($25) or chicken ($21) can choose between seven familiar styles of preparation such as parmigiana, piccata or Milanese.
Pasta is priced according to the sauce -- marinara ($13), Bolognese ($14), red or white clam ($16) -- that can be matched to one of the half dozen pastas du jour, all of which are made locally at Steve Salvi's FEDE company in North Huntingdon.
There's also a selection of pasta specialties such as Bucatini ($18), with sausage and broccoli rabe, or spinach-and-cheese ravioli ($16).
You also can have it your way with meats and fish such as the 20-ounce dry aged Delmonico steak ($37) or the lemon sole ($28), which can be grilled, broiled, blackened, crusted or dusted to your taste. You can also choose between accompaniments such as vanilla or lemon butter, roasted red pepper sauce or tomato fennel ragout.
We finally decided on Chicken Diavolo, with the anticipation of enjoying its devilishly spicy blend of hot peppers, cipollini onion, sausage and San Marsano tomato sauce. Unfortunately, the sauce was both thin and disappointingly far from fiery.
Portions were huge and entrees include a choice of salad or soup.
But if you want a starch or side of vegetable, you'll have to order it separately. Choices include Fingerling Potatoes ($6), yummy-looking Truffle Macaroni ($12), seasonal mushrooms ($10) or grilled asparagus ($9).
For a restaurant that puts the chef's name over the door, there are surprisingly few personal touches or unusual items among the entrees, except for Tripe ($18).
Desserts, though made in house, are far from adventurous -- Cannoli ($8), Panna Cotta ($7), Chocolate Espresso Cake ($9). The Zuppa Inglese ($12), which our waitress recommended, was lackluster.
The appetizer list also leans toward the familiar -- French Fried Zucchini ($10), Bruschetta ($8) and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($16), although there are options such as Spanish Octopus ($10).
The kitchen is willing to go the extra mile of creating House Made Meatballs ($6) and making soup of the day ($3 cup, $5 bowl) into something out of the ordinary -- creamy onion soup that was subtly sweet and accented with crunchy caramelized onion bits.
Already, Coluccio says, one of the most popular appetizers is Stuffed Banana Peppers ($10) filled, not with the standard pork sausage, but with ahi tuna and cured olives.
Once the restaurant settles into a routine, let's hope there may be time and energy to devote to dishes that showcase the chef's personal touch.
Additional Information:
Donato's
Cuisine: Classic Italian and American
Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 to 10 p.m. Sundays
Entree price range: $12-$37
Notes: Accepts all major credit cards. Reservations accepted and recommended. Nearly 150 wines; bottles range in price from $26 to $418. BYOB with $15 per bottle corkage fee. Dress code is smart casual. Monthly wine dinners planned. Takeout available. Wheelchair-accessible. Free parking.
Location: 46 Fox Chapel Road, Harmar Township
Details: 412-781-3700 or website
