It would be logical to think that hospitality would progress with the leaps and bounds of other industries, but you would be sadly mistaken. Hospitality is a brutal two faced monster that rarely lurches from its dark cave to see the wonders and amazement of other futuristic industries whizzing by. This monster which so many people love & hate with equal vehemency, provides so much to our daily lives. We rely on the friendly service to make our lives enjoyable and their food to nourish us and the booze to forget those not so nourishing or enjoyable times. But this monster we call hospitality is often so comforting, friendly and warm you rarely want to leave the cosiness it has created.
My most recent example of the cosiness and warmth comes from one of Adelaide's dining highlights. Enzo’s Ristorante has not changed dramatically in a relatively long time, for this we are truly grateful. With friends in tow and a bottle of something rare and fabulous under my arm we enter the stuccoed cave like interior.
It is important to book in advance as such a popular venue often packs out and stays that way, tonight a function in the courtyard settle in with families clinking festively. We snuggle close together in the corner and with a peripheral view to the rear of the restaurant we can spy the happy punters enjoying themselves in and around the archways which break up the space of the Ristorante.
We order after some deliberation about who was having what and why. Lets not all have the same dish though you could quite easily do it – “Four bowls of pasta thanks – PRONTO” and satisfaction would be yours. After some rustic garlic bread and some stuffed olives which was reasonably priced we pursued our mains. I went for the dish made famous by the visually challenged singer Mr. A. Bocelli, who has the naming rights apparently. Braciolette di Vitello di Andrea Bocelli, an ensemble of brilliantly pungent smokey stuffed veal rolls, accompanied by some less than brilliant wilted witlof and broad beans which had suffered for its cause and was showing all its ailments. The veal was significantly powerful enough to carry this dish. I enjoyed the dish but was a little jealous of my fellow diners who made wiser choices with the pasta. A Spaghetti ala Buzzera was a fresh prawn and creamy cognac piece of inspiration. I could have eaten the whole lot but would have had to wrestle the plate from my partner. A Fettucine Tartuffo… was equally as good as the Spaghetti, it did not last long though the scent of truffles got my friend so worked into a frenzy it was gone in record time. A Free range Chicken Breast Wrapped in Prosciutto with Gorgonzola Bake was real comfort food with the skill of experience on its side, moist chicken stuffed with spinach to clean through the richness of a gorgonzola potato bake. No obscure names, no unrecognisable ingredients with incongruous preparations, just the honest truth – but in Italian.
We must have been like putty in their hands at this stage, the deserts somehow appeared and we had to try the powerful Tiramisu, it would have been totally un - Australian. There was also a Fig Pudding which was so delectable it had my eyeballs peering at my frontal lobe. A shot of good espresso for me and sweet wine for someone else to push their kilojoule count to the point of no return was the final seal of approval that Enzo’s deserved.
Enzo’s were busy, really busy yet we did not feel forgotten or less than a loyal customer. I made some silly remark to our fabulous waiter about a wine I had in my cupboard at home that was similar to one on his shelf from Italy, he smiled and responded with a gratifying remark that maintained our happy interplay. I realised I had been wrong on closer inspection, but realised that is the Enzo’s that people don’t often see. They strive for the effortless customer service while the monster churns within. Suffering some foolish comment while the restaurant waits for no one. The big cuddly monster is, working, thinking and striving to maintain the experience for everyone at the same time. A very worthy goal and obviously achievable.
My most recent example of the cosiness and warmth comes from one of Adelaide's dining highlights. Enzo’s Ristorante has not changed dramatically in a relatively long time, for this we are truly grateful. With friends in tow and a bottle of something rare and fabulous under my arm we enter the stuccoed cave like interior.
It is important to book in advance as such a popular venue often packs out and stays that way, tonight a function in the courtyard settle in with families clinking festively. We snuggle close together in the corner and with a peripheral view to the rear of the restaurant we can spy the happy punters enjoying themselves in and around the archways which break up the space of the Ristorante.
We order after some deliberation about who was having what and why. Lets not all have the same dish though you could quite easily do it – “Four bowls of pasta thanks – PRONTO” and satisfaction would be yours. After some rustic garlic bread and some stuffed olives which was reasonably priced we pursued our mains. I went for the dish made famous by the visually challenged singer Mr. A. Bocelli, who has the naming rights apparently. Braciolette di Vitello di Andrea Bocelli, an ensemble of brilliantly pungent smokey stuffed veal rolls, accompanied by some less than brilliant wilted witlof and broad beans which had suffered for its cause and was showing all its ailments. The veal was significantly powerful enough to carry this dish. I enjoyed the dish but was a little jealous of my fellow diners who made wiser choices with the pasta. A Spaghetti ala Buzzera was a fresh prawn and creamy cognac piece of inspiration. I could have eaten the whole lot but would have had to wrestle the plate from my partner. A Fettucine Tartuffo… was equally as good as the Spaghetti, it did not last long though the scent of truffles got my friend so worked into a frenzy it was gone in record time. A Free range Chicken Breast Wrapped in Prosciutto with Gorgonzola Bake was real comfort food with the skill of experience on its side, moist chicken stuffed with spinach to clean through the richness of a gorgonzola potato bake. No obscure names, no unrecognisable ingredients with incongruous preparations, just the honest truth – but in Italian.
We must have been like putty in their hands at this stage, the deserts somehow appeared and we had to try the powerful Tiramisu, it would have been totally un - Australian. There was also a Fig Pudding which was so delectable it had my eyeballs peering at my frontal lobe. A shot of good espresso for me and sweet wine for someone else to push their kilojoule count to the point of no return was the final seal of approval that Enzo’s deserved.
Enzo’s were busy, really busy yet we did not feel forgotten or less than a loyal customer. I made some silly remark to our fabulous waiter about a wine I had in my cupboard at home that was similar to one on his shelf from Italy, he smiled and responded with a gratifying remark that maintained our happy interplay. I realised I had been wrong on closer inspection, but realised that is the Enzo’s that people don’t often see. They strive for the effortless customer service while the monster churns within. Suffering some foolish comment while the restaurant waits for no one. The big cuddly monster is, working, thinking and striving to maintain the experience for everyone at the same time. A very worthy goal and obviously achievable.
Giles
