Mi Piaci – Dallas, TX
Mi Piaci
14854 Montfort Drive
Dallas, TX 75254
972.934.8424
http://www.mipiaci-dallas.com/
Since opening in the early 1990’s the restaurant has won a variety of accolades from the local and national press. The most common descriptive used in all the reviews and awards is “authentic.” A word that is often used very loosely in Dallas but one that I think fits the menu and presentation of the food. The accolades have slowed down as of late, no doubt because of the plethora of new restaurants in the area offering supposedly authentic food.
The restaurant bills itself as a place where they either make it from scratch or they import it from Italy. Not the first place in Dallas to position itself in the crowded restaurant market that way (Arcodoro & Pomodoro leading the way). It does show a seriousness about the quality of the ingredients which I do think comes through in the food. It must be a bit of a daunting undertaking making all of your own charcuterie and baking your own varieties of breads. It does seem to pay off in the quality and freshness of the end product.
We were there celebrating an anniversary. I refused to go the route of the usual choices, something that involves grilling a portion of the cow, which is all too common in Dallas. I had not had a good plate of Italian food in a restaurant since we came back from Europe. So Mi Piaci popped into mind and off we went.
The menu is a simple, straightforward classic Italian menu. There was nothing outré or nouvelle about it. This was actually kind of refreshing for a Dallas restaurant. There was absolutely no pretense that they were serving anything other than homemade Italian food. Bravo on the first point.
As this was our first time at the restaurant I opted for a very basic dinner; calamari fritti as a shared appetizer, insalata tricolore with gorgonzola, pine nuts, and pancetta, and as an entrée, tagliatelle Bolognese. For my companion, the insalata cesare, and gemelli con salsiccia in a fennel cream broth.
Although calamari fritti is a very common dish it is actually very hard to make well. In all candor this was the best calamari I have ever had. The batter was almost like a tempura batter, very light and almost invisible. The calamari was melt-in-your-mouth good. There was a touch of heat added to the batter which gave it a very interesting flavor. Although stingy on the marinara, the dish itself was well worth trying.
The salads were largely unremarkable. I will, however, give it to them for not overwhelming the salad with gobs of gorgonzola; save it for the iceberg lettuce. And, secondly the taste of the very peppery olive oil came through in the dressing. This is something that seems to be totally lost in most restaurants. Why use expensive oil if you cannot taste it?
The entrées were a mixed bag. The gemelli was great. The concept of the sausage the mushrooms and the wonderful fennel infused cream sauce was well executed and a nice idea. The pasta was a bit overcooked. All in all, it was a nice dish. My tagliatelle was infuriating. The Bolognese sauce was perfectly executed and very tasty; it made me very excited. The pasta was way overcooked; totally disappointed. If you go to all the trouble of making your own pasta I would assume you would go to the trouble of cooking it properly. I just do not get it. It is all too common in Dallas to serve pasta this way.
The wine list has received a variety of recognition over the years. It is indeed impressive and has a nice range of prices including the ones where you might want to consider a second mortgage. Relative to the retail values I think the wine is fairly priced. And believe it or not you can get a nice glass of red wine for $8. And not just some skimpy shot-glass-size pour. This is a full ¼ bottle pour. Well done.
I figured out pretty early on that service was going to be a problem. When we arrived there was a sign for valet parking. There was no attendant in sight so we parked our own car. On the way to the entrance we found the parking attendant asleep in his car. We were seated and served promptly but the service was a bit spotty and at times unusual. When we were served our appetizer, which we were sharing, the calamari was served in one bowl with a small side of marinara. No plates were presented to us to use to distribute the calamari and there was no serving utensil presented. So we used our salad forks and our bread plates to make do. Later when the salad course arrived we had to use our dinner forks. And when the entrées were served we were finally presented with a new fork. The final strangeness occurred when we were presented with our bill when we had never been asked if we would like dessert or a drink after dinner. It does cut down on the calorie intake, but I also imagine it really affects the restaurant’s bottom line. We decided to have our brandies at home.
The final analysis is this. I like Mi Piaci. Clearly some of the luster has come off the early rave reviews. The waiter, though a bit uneven, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Maybe with a little training he can meet the standards evident in the menu. The homemade bread and charcuterie is wonderful. It makes for a nice dining experience. The wine list is great. The sauces are all great. If we can just find a new pasta cook, and make sure there is more attention to detail while serving, it would deserve the old rave reviews.
We will be back. Stay tuned.