Food and Wine: Buon Appetito

What Gabriel Hernandez Madrigalle, owner of Giovanni’s Italian Restaurant, does with a few humble ingredients—garlic, herbs, tomatoes—is nothing short of outstanding.

Even with a decidedly unsexy location—a shopping center off of Woodruff Road—the full parking lot outside indicates the packed house inside (even at 8 on a Tuesday night). And once you cross the threshold, you immediately know why, as the aroma of garlic, simmering tomatoes, and the slightest saltiness of the cooking pasta envelops you. Frank and Dino and Italian arias are audible without being distracting overhead, and the intimacy of the low lights and hushed conversations make you feel like you’re in on
the secret.

Shortly after settling in, guests are greeted with a plate of bruschetta—but you’ve never had bruschetta quite like this. Bursts of juicy tomatoes hit lightly with a dash of salt are piled atop crusty bread brushed with olive oil that’s been marinating with herbs for nearly a week. One bite will all but convince you that you are mere steps away from the Mediterranean.

Tutto mare, a seafood-based sauce, is full of pillowy gnocchi, plump scallops, and fresh shrimp that swim in a nuanced blend of sundried tomatoes and pesto, with plenty of extra liquid for the requisite action of sopping up crusty slices of bread. Gabriel’s sauces (a rotation of at least thirty-two that he comes up with in moments of inspiration) are named for family and—if you’re lucky—longtime customers. The sea bass special, per esempio, comes in chunky red tomato “Susanna’s sauce,” named for a frequent diner on her birthday.

Variations on lasagna, chicken, and veal are represented, too. Desserts—cannoli (only on weekends) and tiramisu—are made by his wife, Luz. Extensive wines, delicious reflections of the various regions of Italy, are expertly paired with your meal.

The other star in this culinary show, however, is Gabriel himself who treats each customer as he would someone dining at his own dinner table, which in a way, they very much are. “Cooking, for Italians,” Gabriel says, “is like...passion.” So if what they say is true—that food is love—you may fall in love at first bite with Giovanni’s. Go ahead, be Italian.

THE SKINNY ON GIOVANNI’S
1178 Woodruff Road, Greenville, (864) 297-0999

MUST TRY:
The cannoli, served only on weekends

CHECK OUT:
Their wine list, featuring regional Italian wines