Aqua Pazzo restaurant is based on simplicity, authenticity

by: Mike Vallas & Mark Smesko

Our last trip to 492 McClurg Road was about a year and half ago when we visited the CA Restaurant. We had an outstanding meal with great service in a fine setting.

The room has recently reopened as Aqua Pazzo.

So naturally, for a couple of bumbleheads like ourselves, the first question we asked was “Why?” Why the remodel, why the menu revamp, and pointedly, why the new restaurant?

Chef Mark Canzonetta sat down with us to explain his idea behind Aqua Pazzo.

“I wanted to go back to my culinary roots, to that of my Italian immigrant grandparents, and bring the Sunday dinner table into a restaurant.

“Our concept is to bring high-quality authentic ingredients, including imported meats and cheeses, tomatoes from Parma, and bronze die pastas to our patrons.”

While care is given to technique, there is a certain simplicity in the cooking approach. “We use a ‘rule of five’ and keep ingredients in our dishes to just a handful, expertly prepared,” added Canzonetta.

And with that explanation, we laid our cloth mupeens in our lap, and said, “let’s eat.” While we did peruse the menu, we asked Chef Canzonetta to pick the selections to feature.

First up was the house made Rosemary Focaccia. Chef explained to us that it took eight weeks for them to get this recipe where they wanted it. The bread comes out warm and is about 3 to 4 inches high. It is soft on the inside with a nice richness from the Umbrian extra virgin olive oil. The rosemary is not overpowering and the Sicilian sea salt finishes the dish. Every meal you have at Aqua Pazzo should start here.

Next was a series of piatti piccoli, or small plates. First, Angus Beef Carpaccio: thin slices of raw beef tenderloin cut to order and topped with Meyer lemon juice, Parmigiano Reggiano, Fresno chiles, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and arugula. The beef flavor combines with the saltiness from the Parm, tartness from the lemon, mild spice from the chiles, pepper from the arugula and texture from the sea salt. If you’ve never tried carpaccio before, we can’t think of a better place for your first time. A perfectly balanced dish that was the best version we’ve ever had.

Second, we sampled the Wood-Oven Octopus with Potatoes and Chiles. Chef takes already tenderized octopus and cooks it for 10 minutes in a court bouillon (a flavored liquid for poaching or quick cooking). It is then cooked in their wood-fired oven at about 650 degrees for another 10 minutes, and served with salt crusted fingerling potatoes, chiles and a Meyer lemon citronette. The octopus was perfectly cooked, as were the tender potatoes. The cItronette gave the dish a bright flavor. Delicious.

The last small plate was the Calabrian Citrus Shrimp: flash-fried shrimp served with a roasted garlic aioli, spicy Calabrian chiles and fried thin slices of Meyer lemons. The shrimp were slightly crispy, and the creamy aioli contrasted well with the spice of the chiles. The thing that made this dish for us was the fried lemon slices. Unless you sample these for yourself, you just can’t understand how surprisingly tasty a slice of fried Meyer lemon can be.

Aqua Pazzo has essentially a “create your own” meat and cheese board: seven options of meat and cheeses and various condiments. The highlights for us were the 24-month Prosciutto San Daniele and the Porchetta Di Maile. Don’t skip the combinations of the 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano with the truffled honey as well as the Tallegio cheese with the blueberry Chianti preserves. Paired with crostini and a glass of wine, this could be a meal in itself.

Chef Canzonetta insisted we try a wood-fired pizza and dish featuring meatballs. We sampled the 3-meat Meatball Trapizzino (Roman street sandwich). The meatballs are made with a combination of beef, veal and pork and were tender and flavorful. These Italian jewels are placed in a triangular piece of bread with tomato fondue and fresh mozzarella, and accented with crispy basil. Simple yet completely satisfying. The sandwiches are paired with twice-cooked sea salt and vinegar fries (and you wouldn’t believe the steps taken to make these fries).

Next out was the Calabrian Pizza Fritto. This is not pizza as you know it. The pizza dough is deep fried, and then topped with rich tomatoes, Calabrian chiles, Parm, extra virgin olive oil and basil. The dough was crispy yet chewy, and the richness of the tomatoes paired well with the salty parm and spicy chiles.

We next moved on to the pasta course. We tried three. The Classic Roman Spaghetti Cacio E Pepe, Pappardelle with locally sourced oyster mushrooms and Bucatini Amatriciana. Aqua Pazzo serves the highest quality Italian pasta cooked al dente or to order. Chef Canzonetta noted that like in Italy, all pastas are finished in a pan with the accompanying sauce and a bit of the cooking liquid. All pasta entrees are made with only a few quality ingredients, all were executed well which tested delicious.

Our favorite was the Bucatini. This combines rich tomatoes, smoky pancetta, spicy chili flakes, slivered garlic and sweet red onions. The thicker pasta was the perfect vehicle for the hearty sauce.

At this point we thought we were imagining things when Chef Canzonetta ordered three entrees for the table. First was their signature Sea Bass and Scampi Aqua Pazzo: wood-oven roasted sea bass and shrimp, kale, softened cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes in a white wine saffron broth, light and flavorful.

Next was the Long Bone-in Pork Chop, served with potato, spicy garlic rapini and a mission fig sauce. Perfect medium pork chop, slightly bitter rapini and slight sweetness from the fig sauce. Balanced and satisfying.

Last was a nicely charred New York Strip Steak, served with horseradish cress salad, extra virgin olive oil and shaved Parm.

Two house-made desserts were presented to wind up this dining extravaganza – Chocolate Cannoli Cones and Strawberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta. The cannoli featured a dark chocolate ricotta filling, accented with a Bing cherry and Trapanese sea salt. The panna cotta had a slight tang from the buttermilk that accented the sweetness of the strawberries. We appreciated that neither dessert was overly sweet but rich and satisfying.

We finished our meal with a sampling of their house-made “cellos,” including Limoncello, Orangecello and Basilcello. Made with a neutral alcohol base, they pack a slight punch but were the perfect after-dinner aperitif.

We would be remiss to not mention the excellent service from Adam Lee during our visit. Adam knows food and what to pair from Aqua Pazzo’s wine and cordial menu to the course offerings.

So, back to the question of “Why?”

Why should you go to Aqua Pazzo? The answer is easy; high-quality ingredients, outstanding execution, knowledgeable professional service, beautiful atmosphere and in our own backyard. Five simple ingredients.