As Ristorante Filippo has grown in grace and goodness over its dozen years in business, it seems to be ever more determined to puzzle its would-be customers. Although it is quite visible from Causeway Boulevard, figuring how to actually get to the restaurant is challenging enough that "I've seen it for years, but never been there" is the most common report about Filippo on my radio show. The place has no website and does very little advertising. And its most celebrated specialty--chicken spiedini--is often not available. The regulars--of which there are enough to keep at least the bottom floor and bar filled most lunches and dinners--know all about it. And they, too, seem to be keeping the restaurant's existence a secret.
If you enjoy dining in restaurants with none of your friends, this well-hidden restaurant keeps itself busy with unique twists on classic Italian flavors. It's so unassuming that once you do manage to check in for dinner, you expect far less than what the kitchen can deliver. A nice equation that results in a fine dinner.
Gagliano's downstream family gave us, in the 1960s, Frank's--the venerable, lusty, yeasty Italian cafe and muffuletta specialist near the French Market. In 2001, he broke away from his siblings to take over the former Napoli restaurant, and began the longest tenure of any of many cafes that tried to make a go of this funny building near the Galleria.
Even though the chef has done a lot of landscaping, nothing about the exterior suggests the intimate, casually elegant dining rooms inside. The rooms are small. Tables in the bar are more comfortable than they look. When an order of the bubbling, crusty, herbal oysters areganata enters the dining room, the aroma is such that all heads turn.
You will be finished reading the whole menu faster than you expected. That is the moment for you to find out the specials, which are more important to the eating schema here than usual. Take the waiter's advice, but make sure that at least one dish dominated by garlic, herbs, olive oil, and bread crumbs (i.e., oysters areganata) are included in your order.
The best way to get there place is from Galleria Boulevard. Take a right at that street's end, go a block, and there it is.
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| Environment | 1 |
| Hipness | 0 |
| Local Color | 0 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 0 |
