Thursday, October 26th, 2023
By: Julianne Minuto, Program Manager, Yale Conferences & Events
Photo credit: Julianne Minuto
Directly across from Neapolitan pizza mecca, The Original Frank Pepe’s™, and occupying the old Tony & Lucille’s spot, the new kid on the block, Gioia, is worlds away in look and feel. An airy, open space that manages to still feel cozy with dark booths and blonde wood tables, a glistening tiled bar, and a spotless open gourmet kitchen. What kind of fare are they serving? Italian, of course, but not your nonna’s Italian. This is modern, elegant Italian that gives a respectful nod to the old country. Gioia is Italian for joy, as the menu cheerfully declares, and it’s a fitting name for treat of a dining experience. Adding to the good times, Gioia boasts an attached gelateria, specialty market, and next spring—a rooftop bar!
Gioia values organization and optimization—they offer a pared-down wine list sorted from lightest-bodied to fullest-bodied, in red, white, and rosé, almost ensuring that you’ll be pleased with your selection. The cocktail list and food menus are laid out in similar relevant categories. To make sharing a meal with your dining companions easy and more affordable, the pasta and entrée menus are priced for full and half portions. However, this tempts one to order more than one should, quickly driving up the bill. The knowledgeable and experienced staff is happy (excited!) to guide you through the menu.
Photo credit: gioianewhaven.com
The extensive cocktail list and amaro selection rivals any in New York—so much so that they keep, and frequently use, a rolling library ladder to reach the highest shelves behind the bar. There is an open kitchen with a visible wood-fired oven and rotating spit that sends mouth-watering rotisserie chicken aromas directly into the dining room. On Fridays and Saturdays, one can experience their “From the Hearth” series, featuring a surprise selection of leg of lamb, tomahawk steaks, and the like.
The Bread to start is more of an amuse bouche take on a bread basket than actual bread. What arrives on the table is one pillowy donut hole-sized morsel for every person at the table, drenched in garlic-infused olive oil, parsley, and a dusting of grated parmesan, nestled snugly into a tiny shallow bowl. This delicious bite is successful in building excitement for the coming meal without taking up too much space in one’s stomach.
Photo credit: New Haven Independent
The biggest selection of menu items is filed under the “To Start” section. One of the most interesting items on that list was the Baccalà Arancini (salt cod rice ball). It is a combination of two staples of cucina povera—the former often struggling to be palatable to the masses. Salt cod requires days of soaking but the final product is flaky and tender, with a surprisingly mild flavor. Gioia expertly homogenizes the baccalà and rice—then the smaller-than-normal arancini appear to be dipped in some sort of batter instead of breadcrumbs, then deep fried to perfection. Served with a fresh tartar sauce, the resulting bite is reminiscent of beer-battered fish and chips. And it is excellent. The perfect pairing? A crunchy, bright, refreshing Fennel & Citrus Salad. Pulled straight from Sicily, but with a signature spin, Gioia throws their fennel (whole, it seems) into the fire for a moment, bringing out the vegetable’s natural sugars and lending an attractive char.
Photo credit: gioianewhaven.com
The pasta dishes are fantastic, their Rigatoni Carbonara offers an inauthentic, but not unwelcome, smoky take on a Roman signature and the Ember Roasted Squash Agnolotti is drenched in butter, sage, hazelnuts, and intrigue.
The Rotisserie Chicken was the star of the show—juicy, well-seasoned chicken with a sparse drizzle of chimichurri and impossibly crispy potatoes. The artfully placed sauce was attractive on the plate but if Gioia is going to dare making a sauce that delicious, they need to provide a sidecar on your plate, nay, a gravy boat for the table. And speaking of dishes, everything is served on hand-painted Italian pottery—a fun and lively choice but not terribly durable. Often reserved for serveware or wall décor, it will be interesting to see if the pottery is up for the demands of a high-traffic restaurant.
Ordering dessert at Gioia is a must—especially if it includes their house-made gelato. The Flourless Chocolate Torte with Olive Oil Gelato and Passionfruit was a study in contrasts. The luxuriously rich torte was counterbalanced by a punchy, acidic passionfruit puffed rice crumble that had to have featured a red wine vinegar somewhere in the background. Lastly, the fruity olive oil gelato with a sprinkle of flaky salt was there to take the edge off. Washing this down with a tiny snifter of Faccia Brutto amaro—an herbal, orangey, bitter digestivo further enhances these flavors.
Photo credit: gioianewhaven.com
Gioia is effervescent. The space and the food are already assets to the Wooster Square and New Haven communities. They fit right in with Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Abate’s, lovingly honoring them with a flatbread menu item called “Wooster Squares.” The place has mass appeal, a date night spot for couples of all ages, family dinners, special occasions, and a lively bar to kick off one’s night.
You can find Gioia at 150 Wooster Street, gioianewhaven.com, and on social media @gioianhv.