A surprise awaits you at Ciao Amici in Wakefield
Where to Ciao Amici, off a main street in Wakefield, across from the police station.
Why A team with decades of experience in the North End, who couldn’t afford Boston rents or a liquor license in the city, decided to look outside.
The back story Chef-owners Gabriel Perez and Huberto Melara were boyhood friends in La Reina, a village in El Salvador near Honduras. They met again at Artu in the North End, where both were working. They opened Ciao Amici (“Hello, Friend,” also, “Goodbye, Friend”) with partner Lesly Roca. Nelson Siliezar runs the business end. The building, which is almost hidden behind a parking lot, is the former Massimo’s Ristorante. Ciao Amici opened in February.
What to eat The menu is traditional Italian with a light touch. You leave the table feeling good. Calamari are battered and fried to order with cherry peppers; no dense bread-y coating. Beef meatballs on a homemade tomato sauce are almost airy with a sauce you could eat with a spoon and smile as you do. A Bolognese sauce, made with beef and veal and tossed with tagliatelle, is nicely seasoned and if you could call Bolognese delicate, this one is. All the pasta comes from Deano’s in Somerville. Veal in a Marsala sauce sits beside a delightful mushroom risotto and pork tenderloin is accompanied by really delicious broccoli rabe and crusty fingerling potatoes. Siliezar, the house manager, who is finishing a mathematics degree at Bridgewater State, is making tiramisu by soaking ladyfingers in espresso and Grand Marnier.
What to drink Wine, beer, and cordials.
The takeaway The restaurant has three sections. A row of tables overlooks the parking lot of the building in front of it, another area is cozier with low lighting, and a third has a TV. The place is painted a hue of blue that makes you think Mediterranean. It’s all very homemade. Like the food. Like the welcome you receive. They’re happy you’re here. You’ve eaten well and you leave smiling.
19 Centre St., Wakefield, 781-5871241, www.ciaoamicirestaurant.com/ Appetizers, soups, salads $7-$20; pasta, risotto, entrees $18-$34.