Kitchen Bliss

Dining at Castelli Cucina? Save room for dessert. Head Chef / Owner Daniel Mancini, grew up in the family that has run Hamilton’s Sweet Paradise Bakery for the last thirty years. Mancini was in the kitchen from an early age – sometimes reluctantly. But the baking bug bit him and he followed his studies in marketing with a culinary apprenticeship at Niagara College. Mancini dabbled in entrepreneurship selling Mancini Honey (his grandfather was a beekeeper for 75 years) and travelling to events with his mobile pizza oven.

This first restaurant venture is named after Castelli, a medieval hill town in Abruzzo - famous for its ceramics, and special to Mancini because it’s the birthplace of his grandparents (he and his father are born and bred Hamiltonians). The exterior of this eatery, opened in July, has a fresh coat of brilliant white paint. If you miss the sign on the glass window, wrought iron gates, black planters and a sandwich board menu announce you’re at the right place. The interior décor is the work of Mancini’s sister Dana, proprietor of Saluti Designs who achieves a rustic European look with brick walls displaying cooking utensils, sprigs of dried herbs, Castelli ceramic spoons and many photos – some of Mancini’s family. Antique scroll dishes and crocheted doilies on each table add to the Italian country feel. The front window seating is adorable, and there is also bar top and regular seating with banquettes.

There are reminders that this operation is still in its early days. With a minimalist website, you won’t see the menu until you arrive - though Instagram posts tempt you, showcasing the talent in the kitchen. Understandably, the menu will evolve. At present, the lunch and dinner menus are the same, with the addition of daily specials. But there’s the matter of the “red dot” which indicates menu items not available. Mancini explains this has everything to do with product freshness and availability. He doesn’t want to stock frozen ingredients just to ensure he doesn’t run out – and few will fault him for that. Yet, showing me a list of things I can’t have invites disappointment – fortunately not for long.

Abruzzo cuisine is the menu focus, though Mancini adds other dishes that are iconic Italian or simply interesting. The pistachio crusted halibut, for example, is not Italian. He created it for a catered event and because of its popularity added it as a special on the day we dined. The sweet tasting fish was simmered in white wine and garlic, and plated with beans. While cooked to perfection, a more finely ground crust might have worked better, since whole pieces of pistachio interfered with the enjoyment of this fish’s flaky texture.

The halibut had been preceded by two excellent appetizers. Burrata with heirloom tomatoes, olive oil and focaccia was nicely plated. The fresh, seasonal tomatoes glistening with olive oil and salt were not only appetizing, but tasted the way tomatoes should taste. Mancini sources Gioiella Burrata which has a texture and flavour few other brands approach. Soft, freshly baked focaccia made this a real winner. If Castelli was right next door, I’d be tempted to stop by often just for appetizers like this. Prosciutto and melon was not artfully plated, yet the casual presentation put me in mind of dining outdoors under a pergola, on an Italian hillside being served family food prepared with love.

What I didn’t totally love was the rigatoni a la vodka with prosciutto. Chef explained that, trained to avoid waste, this dish uses leftover bits of prosciutto. Using his uncle’s recipe he sautés the prosciutto bits, flambés them with vodka then adds a rose / béchamel sauce. I found the prosciutto pieces to be too dense to chew. I pushed them aside and regrettably they did end up as waste. The sauce, while delicious, was overabundant making the dish rather soupy.

Having heard that they make great pizzas, from their menu of ten we chose Napoletana – San Marzano tomatoes, olives, anchovies, oregano and fior di latte cheese. This emerged from the pizza oven with a beautiful crust and the tasty sauce formed a good base for the toppings. Mancini takes pride in his pizzas, perfecting a dough made from few ingredients and allowed to ferment for at least 48 hours. Pizza is popular as a takeaway.

Mancini pours passion into curating his drinks menu and incudes wines not available at LCBO. Cocktails are classic Italian – and for Bellinis he makes in-house prepared puree. Dessert was being delivered to nearby tables and we could hardly wait for that course. We passed on the tiramisu and enjoyed ricotta-filled Bombolone and Cannoli – both delicious, fresh, artfully plated. (Sold for takeaway at their counter.) Excellent coffee ended the feast.