After the show we drove into downtown Covington to what MA has declared her very favorite restaurant in the whole city - Del Porto. I can’t argue with her reasoning. I have often said it is my favorite Italian in the metro area. We arrived at 5:55, just five minutes from the end of Happy Hour. Mary Ann is a huge fan of Happy Hours, and I am warming to this smaller portion thing too. It was a very generous list of offerings from the appetizer menu, as well as a pizzetta, and all at great prices.
Our usual waiter came over immediately to give us a chance to get a few things on order for the kitchen. This pizzetta looked fantastic, and MA grabbed a chance to get one. It was not on the regular menu. Tonight it was steak on the pizzetta, and there was a decent amount here, which is sometimes not the case in restaurants doing this. The flavors of the steak and sauce and buffalo milk mozzarella blended in a way that actually thrilled Mary Ann. And the crust was exceptionally thin, making it stiff and crunchy.
There was also a tiny portion of very rich ricotta gnudi on the table, and I gravitated to that. It was what I wanted on the regular menu, but the half price (and size) portion was satisfying enough. Mary Ann was so busy delighting in the pizzetta that she didn’t even notice the gnudi. When I pointed it out, she shrugged at it. More for me.
We also got a portion of fritto misto, which is something seen all over Italy, but here only in restaurants that are a bit more authentic. Over there it is served in a cone of paper, and here in a dish with paper on the bottom for draining. Fritto misto is nuggets of vegetables and seafood or meat deep fried in a light batter. It is served with an aioli. We’ve never had one of these little collections of surprise fried things that we didn’t love. This one had a more complex aioli which had capers in it, elevating it from the crowd. We were surprised that it was a little greasy.
Mary Ann had it in her mind to have an antipasti platter here. It is her favorite of these anywhere. She knew it to be $25 which is pricey for an appetizer, but here it can be a meal for a few people. But she noticed a salumi board on the menu for $16 and inquired if the platter had changed for the price to be $16 now. She didn’t notice her antipasti platter at the menu’s very top. The waiter didn’t catch this confusion, and the salumi board arrived. Mary Ann’s look when it arrived said it all. It was beautiful, with things she would never eat, like cured duck and cracklins and fried bread and chutneys. She asked the waiter why they had changed it so much, and the lightbulb went off. He offered to take it back, but it had already landed on the table. A neighboring table heard this and offered to take it off our hands. Problem solved.
Soon the one she expected was placed on our table. This was more like it, but still seemed a little different than the last time she had had it. No matter. It is a work of art by any standard. Mortadella and salami are arranged beautifully amidst olives of all varieties, and grilled vegetables, some cantaloupe and cheeses of triangles and crumbles. There is a whole garlic pod surrounded by caponatas and artichokes. This luscious arrangement is flanked by strips of grilled ciabatta and garnished with wisps of arugula. Bellissimo! Almost too bellissimo to eat. I shared this with MA and called it a meal.
But I did want to have some dessert, settling on an affogato of vanilla ice cream with a chocolate biscotti. Mary Ann was interested in this until the coffee was poured on it. She never touches the stuff.
That left about half the dessert on the table, and too much of the antipasti platter. The food here is too good to be left. MA decided in the future to stick to the Italian salad she loves so much here. It used to be on the menu, but they took it off. They still make if for her if she asks. The mark of a truly exceptional place, which, as we have said before, this is.
Del Porto Ristorante
501 E Boston St.
Covington 70433
Tu-Sat 11:30 am-2:30pm Lunch
5:30pm-10pm Dinner
985-875-1006
delportoristorante.com
