Janino's

By Billy Curtright

Cuisine editor

Between travel plans and checking account messes, the holiday season finds me in a constant state of hysteria. Those who similarly find themselves chewed down to the quick with seasonal distress can find relief at Janino’s, Fred and Donna Brill’s months-old eatery.

There’s simply no better place to enjoy the culinary equivalent of cuddling than this excellent midtown spot, which is the very embodiment of the word “cozy.” Although menu items are in, for lack of better terminology, the red sauce/white sauce vein, traditional favorites such as calzones and pasta with marinara sauce are prepared with care and skill. With its sweet holiday lights, friendly service and simple, honest dishes, Janino’s is the any-day-of-the-week Italian for which Mobile’s been pining.

My dining companion and I, ever gluttonous, attempted to order the spinach and artichoke roll as well as a calzone to start but were warned by our efficient-if-fairly-nervous server that it would be nearly impossible to finish such a vast amount of food. We followed his advice and were glad of it, as said spinach and artichoke roll was almost as large as a fire log.

Beneath the gloriously golden-brown veneer of the toasty-on-the-outside, pillowy-on-the-inside crust laid a molten core of real mozzarella – no white foodservice school paste here – dabs of ricotta, chunks of artichoke hearts, and remarkably green spinach, which was not at all overcooked as is the norm in such preparations. The roll was served with steaming hot, fresh and chunky marinara sauce that added a touch of tartness to the mildness of the crust and filling.

My friend chose capellini with marinara and sausage for a main course, and I ordered one of the evening’s specials, filet mignon with a marsala reduction, paired with capellini alfredo. The capellini with marinara and sausage was so hearty, carefully prepared and satisfying that it was special enough for dinner out with a friend, yet simple and honest enough for any meal, any day of the week.

Our server had commented that the filet was, according to one of the previous night’s diners, “as good as Ruth Chris’s.” Having never visited the steakhouse, I cannot compare the two, yet my filet with a marsala reduction was flawless and an unbeatable value at $18.95. Perfectly pan-seared and butter-tender, the filet’s succulent was not overdone or overwhelmed by the capellini alfredo’s supreme creaminess but enhanced and made all the more extravagantly, yet palatably rich. The marsala reduction, although just a twee bit too salty, provided a welcome tang to the dish, keeping its richness in check. Broiled tomatoes accompanied the filet and alfredo introduced both color to the plate and acidity, which brought balance to the buttery combination.

The alfredo deserves a small discussion of its own, as my friend and I expected a version similar to the standard: a premade, béchamel-like white sauce puddled on pasta. Brill’s interpretation of this American favorite was anything but standard. Tender capellini were delicately napped in just enough butter and cream and were far from bland. The pasta was absolutely heavenly, not an ounce too rich, and has rendered me incapable of ever eating an alfredo anywhere but Janino’s. The combination of filet and capellini alfredo may very well be the restaurant’s star dish, as it offers Brill the chance to show off his keen cooking skills and offers diners a generous bite of affordable luxury. My friend returned several days later specifically for the entrée, tantalized by the bite I offered, and reported that it was as fantastic as she’d remembered and hoped.

Having heard much praise for Janino’s calzones, I picked one up for lunch and was as pleased as I was with dinner. Like the spinach and artichoke roll, the calzones are homey, dirigible-sized delights, stuffed with a torrent of mozzarella and ricotta with choice of fillings and outstanding for its superb contrast of mild cheeses to tangy marinara and crunchy crust to sqwooshy filling. As with the entrées, the calzone is very generously, but not overwhelmingly sized, large enough for two diners with smaller appetites.

The tiramisu was good but not extraordinary, and its mascarpone layers were a bit whippier than I like. The restaurant does not have a liquor license, allowing diners to bring their favorite bottles in for a minimal corkage fee. I do hope Janino’s will begin serving wine soon, with selections that follow the same great-quality-at-a-low-price philosophy as the food.

Remarkable restaurants are true magic, enthralling me since I was sturdy enough to wield a fork piled with food. Yet establishments whose service, atmosphere and food find a large enough space in my caustic heart to beg return visits are of a league beyond magic. With eateries, like true love, it’s not flamboyant passion that necessarily works or lasts, it’s warmth and honesty that fill the soul as well as the stomach. Bravo to the Brills.

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