Randazzo’s Little Italy
Saturday night was not my first time at Randazzo’s Little Italy, but since I hadn’t been there since they opened in 03, I’ll just use Saturday night’s experience for my review.
Hello, it rocks. The food, anyway. I was there within weeks of its opening in 2003 (this lil’ post gets way personal further on down), and I can say – they’re consistent. Consistently generous and consistently delicious and consistently entertaining, but I think this last one isn’t always intentional.
The décor is very Little Italy / mobster chic. The walls are crammed with memorabilia from Marc Randazzo’s days as a boxer, and kitschy/gaudy religious/rat pack/Italian-American stuff. There’s a cute little bar tucked into a corner and fake grape vines all over the ceiling and hanging on the window. Cute. Very cute.
As for the food, wow. The menu says that all the recipes are Marc’s mom’s recipes, and, if you don’t like any of them “call her and tell her – phone number given on request.” (The menu, by the way, is funny and full of little anecdotes and such, but so full of grammatical mistakes that my teeth started to ache and I had to just put it down so I wouldn’t set about correcting it.) But back to the food – it’s flavorful; the sauces are just the right texture and amount; the chicken is tender and juicy. Can’t you just tell, by the way I keep saying it was all delicious, that I’m no food critic? Which is why precisely you should listen to me more than them. Here’s the thing with the food, though. You look at the prices on the menu and cringe ($22 for gnocchi? I had it anyway). But then you get your plate, and you feel this little wave of relief, because there’s just so much food. Really, they look like family-style servings – but take heed, they’re not! There’s a $7 charge (per person or plate, I’m not sure because by the time I read that part I was halfway through my glass of wine and getting fuzzy) for sharing, which actually sucks, because if they kept their prices and the sizes of the dishes but took away the sharing charge, it would be incredibly awesome. The place isn’t cheap, folks, but it’s not terrible either.
The place is really quite entertaining, as far as people-watching goes. There are couples, sure, and families, fine. But the bimbos. And the wanna-be mobster boys. Oh, do they abound. Every time I’ve eaten there, and every time I walk by, there they are: these Guido men and the big-titted, big-haired bimbettes that hang off them. Between the girls’ cheap polyester dresses and boys’ huge gold rings and bracelets – it’s a real good dinner show, I promise!
So here’s some history for ya (I’m not sure how essential full disclosure is in order for me to keep the integrity of this blog, but I feel that in fairness, I should disclose all I possibly can): I have a couple of friends who have considerable info on the Randazzo divorce (because neither of been have exactly been discreet about it, and it seems many people in the area know all the dirt). Anyway, I've never had it happen where I know personal details about strangers, and also love their business. From the little that I know, Elena seemed to be the brains of the operation and busted her ass to make something of the restaurant, and then that marriage went kaput – big time. And though none of the shit I've heard surprised me, it still seemed like a sucky thing. This personal item matters because at the time she filed, the fate of the restaurant was called into question. I’m not sure where that stands, if they reached some sort of agreement or what (it was a bitter battle), but I will say this: although I side with the wife in the personal divorce matter, I side with Randazzo as far as the restaurant goes – it’s successful, unique to the area, and offers real damn good food. And on Giralda Avenue - where restaurants go to die - that's a pretty valuable thing.
Randazzo's Little Italy
150 Giralda
305-488-7002
(they don't take reservations, and the later you go, the longer you'll have to wait)
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Hello, it rocks. The food, anyway. I was there within weeks of its opening in 2003 (this lil’ post gets way personal further on down), and I can say – they’re consistent. Consistently generous and consistently delicious and consistently entertaining, but I think this last one isn’t always intentional.
The décor is very Little Italy / mobster chic. The walls are crammed with memorabilia from Marc Randazzo’s days as a boxer, and kitschy/gaudy religious/rat pack/Italian-American stuff. There’s a cute little bar tucked into a corner and fake grape vines all over the ceiling and hanging on the window. Cute. Very cute.
As for the food, wow. The menu says that all the recipes are Marc’s mom’s recipes, and, if you don’t like any of them “call her and tell her – phone number given on request.” (The menu, by the way, is funny and full of little anecdotes and such, but so full of grammatical mistakes that my teeth started to ache and I had to just put it down so I wouldn’t set about correcting it.) But back to the food – it’s flavorful; the sauces are just the right texture and amount; the chicken is tender and juicy. Can’t you just tell, by the way I keep saying it was all delicious, that I’m no food critic? Which is why precisely you should listen to me more than them. Here’s the thing with the food, though. You look at the prices on the menu and cringe ($22 for gnocchi? I had it anyway). But then you get your plate, and you feel this little wave of relief, because there’s just so much food. Really, they look like family-style servings – but take heed, they’re not! There’s a $7 charge (per person or plate, I’m not sure because by the time I read that part I was halfway through my glass of wine and getting fuzzy) for sharing, which actually sucks, because if they kept their prices and the sizes of the dishes but took away the sharing charge, it would be incredibly awesome. The place isn’t cheap, folks, but it’s not terrible either.
The place is really quite entertaining, as far as people-watching goes. There are couples, sure, and families, fine. But the bimbos. And the wanna-be mobster boys. Oh, do they abound. Every time I’ve eaten there, and every time I walk by, there they are: these Guido men and the big-titted, big-haired bimbettes that hang off them. Between the girls’ cheap polyester dresses and boys’ huge gold rings and bracelets – it’s a real good dinner show, I promise!
So here’s some history for ya (I’m not sure how essential full disclosure is in order for me to keep the integrity of this blog, but I feel that in fairness, I should disclose all I possibly can): I have a couple of friends who have considerable info on the Randazzo divorce (because neither of been have exactly been discreet about it, and it seems many people in the area know all the dirt). Anyway, I've never had it happen where I know personal details about strangers, and also love their business. From the little that I know, Elena seemed to be the brains of the operation and busted her ass to make something of the restaurant, and then that marriage went kaput – big time. And though none of the shit I've heard surprised me, it still seemed like a sucky thing. This personal item matters because at the time she filed, the fate of the restaurant was called into question. I’m not sure where that stands, if they reached some sort of agreement or what (it was a bitter battle), but I will say this: although I side with the wife in the personal divorce matter, I side with Randazzo as far as the restaurant goes – it’s successful, unique to the area, and offers real damn good food. And on Giralda Avenue - where restaurants go to die - that's a pretty valuable thing.
Randazzo's Little Italy
150 Giralda
305-488-7002
(they don't take reservations, and the later you go, the longer you'll have to wait)
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Labels: Italian, Randazzo's Little Italy, restaurants, restaurants reviews
posted by Tere at
5/08/2006
13 Comments:
we should go out sometime and blog together
omg, blog AT the restaurant! In front of everyone!
I must say, I was extremely unimpressed with their spaghetti & meatballs entree. The menu description makes a big deal about how fantastic it is, and the dish was a terrible letdown. Maybe my homemade ones are just that good, but I don't think that was the case.
Their bread salad was extremely interesting, though. Be careful if you don't like red onions, however - they will have your eyes watering. Very tasty.
Overall, I thought it was a disappointment given the insane prices coupled with an even more insane sharing charge.
Jenny, I too think the sharing charge is ridiculous. The prices, too, are a bit of a shock when you first look at them, because really, $17 for freakin' spaghetti? But the truth is, those prices are competitive for the Gables, and in many places, you get half the food for the same price.
Regardless, for us, that kind of pricing is only for special ocaisions (we were celebrating my husband's birthday).
As for the spaghetti and Sunday gravy - I've never had it, but heard it's good. At least 3 tables around us were eating it that night.
You should've asked for the phone number to call Marc's mom!
Thanks for the inside. I'm in NY now and it has given me a push to mosey over Houston to Little Italy. (If Chinatown hasn't completely gobbled it up. Damn those people can replicate!) Anywho, I'm still on the fence about being annoyed at Miami Foodie's post. You are a unique, entertaining and great blogger.
By the way, screw the nursing haters! Nurse on baby, Whohooo!
Oh, did he/she mean that my review imitated them? Because no.
Last time I was in Little Italy, we ate at this awesome place - of course I can't remember the name, it's down the street from Ferrara, on the corner of Grand and Mott (but my God, I asked for the special, and not the special's price, and it was $37!!)
And thanks for the support on the nursing thing. I try not to get all riled up about it, but really, people can be really uneducated about some things!
If your in new yokr looking for good italian get out of little italy its not worth it, lived in new york for seven years. check out Bread which is at 20 Spring Street or if your looking for something more romantic go to Grotto which is at 100 Forsyth. Need anymore recomendations for NY shoot me an email.
The Italian restaurant across the street, La Gastronomia, is great, and not so expensive.
Another awesome Gables Italian restaurant is Prezzemolo, a tiny place in a old-fashioned mini-strip mall on Le Jeune South of Bird.
They're OK. It had a bunch of buzz back in '03-'04 when it had opened. I haven't been back since.
I still think Abracci, Bugatti, Trattoria, Villagio, etc. are better.
La Gastronomia is indeed great - I love eating there. But I'm doing reviews based on when I next eat somewhere, because it won't be very reliable if I go on memory.
Never heard of Prezzemolo, though, must check it out.
I am italian... born and raised, speak it too by the way and I am so sick of these bad italian restaurants. Why doesnt Marc just go back to boxing.... In Italy first of all you DONT get these astronomical portions... and jesus, can he have anything else to market than only his meatballs? It is not rocket science to make those things. Also, whoever mentioned Prezzemolo... yes, it is an AWESOME pizzeria and the owner (fully italian) and his girlfriend own it. As for the other so-called italian restaurants, there has not been any good ones as of yet and i've been here since 79!
Why do people like(d) Gastronomia so much? as far as I know is cheap immitation-Italian food, the only eatible item there is probably the bread and olive oil. By the way, I think they closed down by health officials, along with Archie's.
I do agree about Randazzo's is the best Italian in the neighborhood.
dfjohnsonls@aol.com-My family and I love Randazzo's! If you're on vacation in Coral Gables, it's not a vacation without your second family. We've been there so many times. Marc the champion boxer, will take good care of you. Or his pals will. They make the BEST Chicken Parmigana.
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