GIOIA MIA
dining
Unmitigated Joy
Italian restaurant Gioia Mia supplants Fascino WRITTEN BY ESTHER DAVIDOWITZ PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN
When abeloved restaurant closes and another takes its place , diners can ’ t help but wonder — make that worry — ifthe replacement is any good .
When it comes to Gioia Mia , the newcomer that earlier this year supplanted two-decade-old Fascino , acclaimed chef Ryan DePersio ’ sculinary firstborn ( his other gastronomic offsprings are Battello and Kitchen Step in Jersey City ), there was no need to worry . Not one bit . The new place is , in aword , ajoy . It is aptly named . Gioia Mia , pronounced joy-ah me-ah , means “ my joy ” in Italian . And what an unmitigated joy it is to dine at this deceptively large BYOB ( the restaurant contains approximately 100 seats in three dining rooms , each hidden from the others ). It is owned today by managing partner Mary Cumella and executive chef Logan Ramirez , two former employees of Fascino .
While the couple hasn ’ t changed the look of the place — yet ( it would feel at home in abudget hotel with its red vinyl banquettes , worn wood tables and nondescript lighting ) — they are slowly changing the menu , making it less Italian-centric and more global . Ramirez describes it as a “ contemporary , market-driven New American restaurant with an approachable take on multiple cuisines .”
In other words , arestaurant that not only focuses onseasonality ( don ’ t they all , or nearly all , now ?), which Iapplaud ( who wants to eat mealy , tasteless tomatoes in the winter ?), but arestaurant willing to take some chances and not be confined by Italian culinary dictates .
Take the chicken liver mousse appetizer . This old-world French appetizer , akind of poor-man ’ s foie gras , is often
HERITAGEPORK CHOP
GIOIA MIA
331 BLOOMFIELD AVE ., MONTCLAIR ( 973 ) 233-0350 , GIOIAMIANJ . COM
HOURS : OPENS FOR DINNER WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ; CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAY
RECOMMENDED : CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE , GRILLED PEACH SALAD , HAMACHI CRUDO , HERITAGE PORK CHOP , FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE , CREME BRULEE
DRINKS : BYOB served with cornichons . Alovely combination . Ramirez makes it even more lovely . He not only swaps the pickles for an array of vegetables — make that pickled vegetables — but tops the mousse with alayer of stunning pinkish-red strawberry gelee , anice and sweet summertime touch . Scoop up agood amount of the silken smooth mousse , shmear it on aslice of crispy sourdough bread , take abig bite , and odds are good your eyes will close slowly , your lips will emit asigh and your knees may weaken abit . Yes , it ’ sheavenly , and amust-order .
Think salad is boring ? Ramirez ’ sgrilled peach salad is atestament to the wisdom of using fresh , local ingredients . Juicy sweet
22 FALL 2023 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE