Gioia Mia replaced Fascino in Montclair; the newcomer is a joy
When a beloved restaurant closes and another takes its place, diners can’t help but wonder — make that worry — if the replacement is any good.
When it comes to Gioia Mia, the newcomer that earlier this year supplanted two-decade-old Fascino, acclaimed chef Ryan DePersio’s culinary firstborn (his other gastronomic offsprings are Battello and Kitchen Step in Jersey City), there was no need to worry. Not one bit. The new place is, in a word, a joy.
It is aptly named.
Gioia Mia, pronounced joy-ah meah, means “my joy” in Italian. And what an unmitigated joy it is to dine at this deceptively large BYOB (the restaurant contains approximately 100 seats in three dining rooms, each hidden from the others). It is owned today by managing partner Mary Cumella and executive chef Logan Ramirez, two former employees of Fascino.
While the couple hasn’t changed the look of the place — yet (it would feel at home in a budget hotel with its red vinyl banquettes, worn wood tables and nondescript lighting) — they are slowly changing the menu, making it less Italian-centric and more global. Ramirez describes it as a “contemporary, market-driven New American restaurant with an approachable take on multiple cuisines.”
In other words, a restaurant that not only focuses on seasonality (don’t they all, or nearly all, now?), which I applaud (who wants to eat mealy, tasteless tomatoes in the winter?), but a restaurant willing to take some chances and not be confined by Italian culinary dictates.
Take the chicken liver mousse appetizer. This old-world French appetizer, a kind of poor-man’s foie gras, is often served with cornichons. A lovely combination. Ramirez makes it even more lovely. He not only swaps the pickles for an array of vegetables — make that pickled vegetables — but tops the mousse with a layer of stunning pinkish-red strawberry gelee, a nice and sweet summertime touch. Scoop up a good amount of the silken smooth mousse, shmear it on a slice of crispy sourdough bread, take a big bite, and odds are good your eyes will close slowly, your lips will emit a sigh and your knees may weaken a bit. Yes, it’s heavenly, and a must-order.
Think salad is boring? Ramirez’s grilled peach salad is a testament to the wisdom of using fresh, local ingredients. Juicy sweet peaches, pristine frisee leaves and a heady lemony vinaigrette would have sufficed to delight, but toss in some crumbled feta and candied walnuts and you’ve got a sweet, salty, crunchy, peppery wonder that is emphatically not boring.
Another summertime delight is the delectable hamachi crudo that is served mingled with a cool cucumber relish enlivened with grapefruit zest and grapefruit vinegar. It is so refreshing, ice water seems redundant.
I loved the crispy Asian rice squares that accompany the wonderfully sweet, golden-crusted scallops bathed in a punchy nam-jim vinaigrette. They look like croutons and taste like savory cake.
It’s ironic that my least favorite dish at Gioia Mia was Fascino’s most popular: ricotta gnocchi. Like so many, I loved Ryan DePersio’s version, swathed in a sweet sausage ragu. I even named it one of North Jersey’s best dishes in 2019. Ramirez offers the pasta nuggets in a cacio e pepe sauce. A mistake. While the gnocchi were light, the barely-there cheese-and-pepper sauce was so bland, it was almost like eating air.
My favorite dish? Considering how many good dishes I’ve had, choosing a No. 1 is tough. But, if forced to choose, I might give the gold medal to the profoundly tender pork chop. The thinly sliced meat is served atop a shallow pool of velvety corn puree turned a gorgeous orange-red as a result of the Latin American condiment annatto. It is flecked with charred pineapple and pickled Fresno chili. If there were a beauty contest, it would win that, too.
In a follow-up phone call, Ramirez told me that he plans to change the dessert menu, even though my sweet tooth was quite content with the fudgy flourless chocolate cake and skillfully caramelized creme brulee. Still given the chef’s competence and talent — at, may I add, the ripe old age of 26 — odds are good the new desserts will send sweet tooths into a culinary reverie.
Ryan DePersio has nothing to fear as well. He’s left his baby in good hands. And North Jersey food lovers, too, have nothing to fear. Indeed, we have lots to celebrate.
Gioia Mia
Go: 331 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair; 973-233-0350, fascinorestaurant.com/
Hours: Opens for dinner Wednesday through Sunday; Closed Monday and Tuesday
Recommended: Chicken liver mousse, grilled peach salad, hamachi crudo, Heritage pork chop, flourless chocolate cake, creme brulee
Drinks: BYOB