At Giancarlo’s Sicilian Steakhouse, a first-class brigade holds the fort | Restaurants

Anthony Ragusa and his sister Gabriela have run a restaurant in a Williamsville plaza since 2011. On my first visit in 2012, I enjoyed my steak as best I could, perched on a chair at one of three tables tall. This restaurant was the glimmer of an idea, wedged between two other concepts, a sports bar and a coffee counter.

It took me a decade to come back. During my new visit, the Ragusas’ open-hearted plunge into gastronomy was already well underway and was making crowds boffo. Homemade pastas — even gluten-free versions — and performance dishes stray from the stereotypical Italian-American menu. There’s always a bar for cozy cocktails, plus a raw seafood bar and one of Williamsville’s best-located patios.

However, none of this would matter if the battalion behind them was weak. Many places budget more for their decorator and TV commercials than retention bonuses for line cooks. I can taste the lack of commitment to food. Sometimes the uptight people serving it to me seem like they’d rather be somewhere else.

Not at Giancarlo’s, where our server was so effortlessly engaging that I kept wondering if there were any hidden camera auditions on TV. The table setting didn’t include a tablecloth, but it did feature table cards introducing you to your server, complete with full-color portraits and a Tiger Beat-like biography box to get to know you. Giancarlo introduced them during the mask-wearing pandemic period because customers couldn’t really see their server’s face.

Genevieve, a five-year employee with a degree from the University at Buffalo who is working towards becoming a sommelier, deftly guided our table through a chockablock menu with pleasant detours. Asking the right questions, prompt with appropriate suggestions, she helped us have our best meal.

A fluffy homemade focaccia with butter and a deliciously sweet and tangy red pepper agrodolce are super easy to snack on, but you might want to save some ammo.

Noodles reign supreme at this steakhouse, given the hard work of nine-year-old employee chef Nicholas Cee and his flour-dusted pasta team. Corn and Crab Ravioli ($22.90) was a puff of summer by the sea in a tender package of pasta like a love letter. The smoky sour citrus chipotle sauce added a racy dimension.

Servers wear buzzers and headsets to coordinate their deliveries. So, a dozen oysters ($19.90) appear shortly after shucking. G’s Antipasti ($22.90) comes in the form of artichoke hearts coated in golden breadcrumbs that are still crispy, not wilted. Packets of milky fresh mozzarella wrapped in toasted-to-sooty-crisp prosciutto, on arugula with touches of chopped tomato bruschetta, don’t hurt either.

The squids ($19.90) arrived in a super-thin coating, rings and tentacles each with their texture gains. More of that red pepper agrodolce was a welcome marinara vacation.

Giancarlo’s salmon tartare ($19.90) takes a trip to the Greek islands. Yogurt seasons fish, not olive oil, its lactic tenderizing power resulting in ultra-lush bites of raw salmon. Bites laid out on wedges of toasted pita bread, anointed with lemon, the briny touch of capers, pine nuts and the yogurt-garlic-dill dip called tzatziki, got people nodding. If you plan to dive, this is an effective gateway to eating raw fish.

Our Ali Babba pizza ($22.90), topped with cherry tomatoes, artichokes, fresh mozzarella, minced fennel and arugula, did well as a vegetarian starter, the ideal salad-pizza hybrid. His corniciones, too crispy to throw away, found more red pepper sauce. Meatier versions include Buffalo Chicken ($22.90), Banana Pepper Steak ($24.90) and Pepperoni ($22.90), drizzled with hot pepper honey.

A plank of properly seared sea bass ($44.90), creamy to the core, came perched atop a risotto remarkable for both what was present (bay prawns and chopped artichoke) and what was missing (grains cooked in mush). characterless). Giancarlo has the good rice.

Steaks delivered too, like the 17-ounce steak ($59.90) which arrived expertly charred with no, pink inside. But this is a steakhouse where your hunger could go in many directions.

Lamb chops ($42.90) was another Greek ground that landed squarely, sporting crispy refried garbanzo beans, spice-dusted fries, as well as tzatziki that every lamb chop lover secretly dreams of.

Desserts included key lime pie ($14.90), cannoli ($9.90), and creme brulee ($14.90), but as is often the case, the zeppole ($13.90 ) stole the heart from my table. What’s better than a handful of warm donuts just waiting to be dipped?

In this restaurant, there is only one name on the sign. But remember: restaurants are made of people. At Giancarlo’s Sicilian Steakhouse, like a Super Tuscan, its excellence begins with a whole bunch of remarkable grapes.

Giancarlo’s Sicilian Streakhouse

5110 Main Street, Williamsville (giancarlossteakhouse.com, 716-650-5566)

Opening hours: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Close on Sunday.

Price: Appetizers and salads, $14.90-$22.90; entrees, $22.90 to $89.90.

Wheelchair accessible: yes

Gluten-free: homemade pasta and more

Outdoor dining: yes, a lot