RICH LEGACY HONOURED AT COSY BUON GIORNO
Seasoned restaurateur picks up torch of consummate Italian chef
It seems that Buon Giorno has been planted at 823 — 17 Ave, S.W. (403-244-5522) forever. It opened in 1987 but many remember this spot even further back to the 1970s when it was the Prairie Dog Inn (PDI), a primo Mexican joint, before it turned Italian.
For most of the recent decades it was owned and operated by Gabriele Battistessa, a consummate Italian chef whose sauces I remember fondly. Battistessa sold Buon Giorno — he owned that stretch of 17th Avenue as well as the business — to Arlington Street Investments in June but tragically passed away just a few months into his retirement. His personality will be missed.
Taking over the restaurant and honouring Battistessa’s legacy is another seasoned Calgary restaurateur — Claudio Carnali. The former owner of Il Gallo Nero is back in the restaurant business following the aftermath of the 2013 flood. His restaurant, located on 17th Avenue near Stampede Park, never reopened after the devastation of the flood and Carnali contemplated other activities while dealing with insurance issues. He coached soccer and sold cars but when an offer came his way from Arlington, he dove back into the business.
Carnali has changed the look very little at Buon Giorno. It still has the same checkered tablecloths (although they’re red now instead of green) on tables gathered around a central fireplace. There’s new paint and kitchen equipment but the 100-seat room seems as cosy and traditional as ever. (The only thing missing is candles dripping wax down longnecked Chianti bottles.)
Carnali also brought in some experienced help to work with the many Buon Giorno staff who stayed. Chef Salvatore Velotti, who had cooked with Carnali at both Il Gallo Nero and Da Paolo, now runs the kitchen. Out front he appointed former Keg manager Mike Carnali as general manager. (Mike also happens to be Claudio’s son.) And May Carnali (Claudio’s wife, Mike’s mother) helps out on the service side and does the bookkeeping, too.
Together, they have updated Buon Giorno’s menu, incorporating organic ingredients and adding new dishes to an already lengthy list of Italian classics.
Carnali has also retained one of Buon Giorno’s key assets, a 26-slot parking lot out back. On this piece of 17th Avenue parking is at a premium so that’s a key asset. The streetside patio remains, too, although it will likely be out of service for the next few months.
Regardless, Buon Giorno carries on. Battistessa’s loss is deeply mourned but the Carnalis have picked up the torch, ensuring that Buon Giorno will continue on for years to come.
There are a few other changes to report in the realm of 17th Avenue Avenue Italian eateries.
Before Carnali owned Il Gallo Nero, he was a partner in Da Paolo at 121 — 17 Ave. S.E., which was also the original location of La Chaumiere. After Carnali shifted over to Il Gallo Nero, Maria and Danny Caria moved in and renamed it Villa Maria. But earlier this year, the Carias opted to head west a few blocks to 529 — 17 Ave. S.W. and a new partnership.
The Carias joined forces with Oksana Grushetski and Oleg Komar to transform their MiraKuru Japanese-Italian restaurant into a purely Italian place. So the new Villa Maria (403-228-5556) is now up and running with much of their old menu plus the addition of Maria’s tasty pizza and panini.
Villa Maria is a cosy room, too, with about 50 seats inside and an additional 50 outside to go along with elegant, homestyle cooking.
And speaking of pizza, the results are in from the recent YYC Pizza Week event. Forty-eight pizzerias and specialty shops participated in the weeklong festival creating unique pizzas to raise money for Calgary Meals on Wheels and 100 Men Calgary. Over 2,500 pizzas were consumed across the city, raising approximately $7,000. (Pulcinella sold the most with 314 pies baked.)
Based on votes from consumers, winning in the “thin crust” category was 500 Cucina’s Bartovestre pizza with Full Circle coming in second. In the “thick crust” area, the winner was Windsor Pizza with its unique Windsor-style cheese-steak pie while the classic Matador Pizza came second. For “gluten-free crust” it was Earth Cravings picking up the win with 500 Cucina close behind. And in the “unique crust” section Fast-Lane Pizza won with toppings that included french fries while Ollia’s Macarons took second with a salted caramel-apple macaroon pizza.