Gusto Ristorante Italiano BYOB

by Frank Quattrone

You won’t find Chicken Parmigiana on the menu at Gusto Ristorante Italiano. It’s not that Chef-owner Andrea Esposito disdains this popular dish; it’s more that his mission is to re-create the authenticity of Italian food.

On our recent visit to the cozy Feasterville-Trevose BYOB, open since September 2022, he told us that “you won’t find Chicken Parm in restaurants in Italy. Eggplant Parm, yes. But Chicken Parm is an American invention.” And Esposito should know. Born in Naples 31 years ago, he’s been in the restaurant business virtually all his life. As his father owned and worked in restaurants throughout his homeland, the young chef was always by his side, carefully watching.

Esposito recalls, with a laugh, trying to make his own first pizza, at the age of 5— from Play-Doh! When he became a little older, he began working in restaurants in Italy and here in the States. And he refined his already keen culinary skills at Italy’s acclaimed IPSAR Lucio Petronio cooking school in Pozzuoli.

So today, guests who dine at Gusto will experience the fine art of regional Italian cuisine—foods you’ll find both on restaurant menus and in the homes of the country’s fine cooks. That includes the chef’s own mother, whose Polpette di Mamma, homemade meatballs from her original tomato ragu, we tasted with unbridled joy. And that’s because they were the tastiest meatballs we’ve ever eaten—apart from those of my own dear departed nonna, who still remains the world’s greatest chef!

Our tasting menu actually began with several appetizers, the first of which was a generous combination of antipasti from the impressive starter menu, which included homemade bread toasted and topped with stracciatella cheese, speck (a type of cured, lightly smoked ham from northeastern Italy), tangy primo sale cheese from Sicily, mortadella (an Italian luncheon meat made with meat-cured pork and flavored with black pepper grains and pistachios), and mozzarella (made fresh every morning at Gusto) lightly smoked at the table for maximum dramatic effect.

As tantalizing as that was, it paled compared to the next two dishes we tried. Esposito reminded us that he grew up by the sea, so Gusto’s menu is brimful with marine delicacies. The Impepata di Cozze, PEI mussels sautéed with white wine, black pepper, and lemon (authentic to the region of Campania), were the most tender mussels we’ve tasted since the halcyon days of the now-closed South Philly Bar & Grill.

But the Fritto Misto, a mixed fried seafood dish popularized in Venezia, the “Queen of the Adriatic,” was Gusto’s star of the sea. The platter features striped floured seppia (or cuttlefish, a more tender variation from calamari, common to Sicily), floured head-on Argentinian shrimp, and homemade zeppoline (traditional dough-like fritters originating in ancient Rome), served with lemon slices on a bed of organic arugula.

While waiting to digest our excellent starters, we chatted with Chef Esposito and his charming Neapolitan wife, Giuseppina Costagiola, who manages the front of the house and consults with the chef on menu items (which change roughly every two months).

They told us of their recent ranking by the 5 Reasons to Visit travel website as the “Best Italian Restaurant in Pennsylvania.” And, more proudly, they showed us their official certification by Eccellenze Italiane, an international organization that recognizes authenticity in Italian products, services, accommodations, and hospitality throughout the world.

It was already clear how well-earned these honors were. But our primi piatti (or, first course, in traditional Italian restaurants) provided us with even more clarity. Eve had a dish native to the region of Veneto, Casarecce con Crema di Asparagi, homemade casarecce (short twists of pasta that appear rolled up on themselves) with purée of asparagus served with Italian pork guanciale (cured pork cheeks), in an imported Italian cream sauce (so light that even a lactose-intolerant diner felt absolutely no discomfort!).

My own entrée, I must admit, I had never seen nor tasted before in any restaurant here or in Italy. Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, a dish authentic to the city of Sorrento, is the familiar homemade potato gnocchi baked with homemade fresh mozzarella and San Marzano tomato sauce D.O.P., served in a circular bread basket freshly baked in house—a truly unique, attractive presentation to complement its distinctive flavor.

D.O.P., by the way, or Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin, in English) is one of Gusto Ristorante Italiano’s proud marks of distinction. The chef says he only uses EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) imported from Sicily; Parmigiano and prosciutto imported from Parma; balsamic vinegar of Modena imported from Modena—you get the picture. These are the brands commonly used in his homeland.

Gusto, from the Italian word for taste, has already developed a loyal fan base. The day of our visit, we met Joe Spano, a retired chef, and his wife Joy and other members of their family. They say they return to Gusto again and again because it reminds them so much of the great restaurants they’ve enjoyed in Italy.

And despite many return visits himself, Andrea Esposito says he doesn’t really miss Italy all that much, as he has his beautiful wife by his side and he has brought all the foods he loves best here from his homeland for all to enjoy at Gusto.

Gusto Ristorante Italiano BYOB is located at 430 W. Street Road, Feasterville-Trevose, PA; 215-322-9979; www.gustobyob.wixsite.com; gusto.byob@icloud.com. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 4–10 p.m. Reservations highly recommended.