Taste of Italy Aielli Ristorante in Port Credit

Published November 8, 2012 at 5:40 am

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1st Impression: Taste of Italy
Dress Code:  Casual/Semi-Formal                     
Unique for:Intimate Wine Cellar Parties
Value: Bang On 

Mississauga has a lot to offer in the culinary scene and is home to many talented Chefs who create beautiful food. Mark your calendar or book your next night out to Aielli Restaurant. It is one of the finer Italian restaurants in Mississauga that caters to its customers and it is a great place to dine. Its 30 year history in Port Credit is testament to what they do best – food and wine. 

It was the perfect night for a hearty Italian meal created by Chef/Proprietor Luigi Macerola. My night started with a couple of martinis, despite the accolades and awards from the Wine Spectator for their extensive wine selection. It was just a Grey Goose straight up martini kind of night, so I will have to revisit the extensive bottle selection and bar another time.   

Aielli has a loyal following of diners and celebratory foodies like me. The resto is enveloped in old school Italian wall murals which work in this space and style and creates a charming and intimate setting. It’s an ideal place to have a romantic dinner, a night out with the family, or a private function. 

Aielli has a beautiful wine room which holds over 10,000 bottles of wine and this area can also host small and intimate private functions. Aielli has bragging rights to winning multiple Awards of Excellence from the Wine Spectator – a highly revered resource for the world’s finest wines. 

The kitchen is an open concept style where you can see Chef Macerola in his element creating some of the classic and new dishes featured on his menu. The gorgeous bar is central to Aielli which is a two sided bar and that has East and West views of the resto,it is a cushy spot to lounge with a glass of vino or a cocktail. 

The evening started with fresh Italian bread presented with a personal selection of Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar to create your own personal dressing.

The Insalate di Mari ($13) was the first dish of my night, a beautifully plated seafood dish which included calamari, mussels, scallops, shrimp, and a lobster tail served with marinated vegetables and lobster oil. It was a harmonious mixture of flavours and a nice light start to the evening.

My entree was the star dish of the evening. I had the Brome Lake Duck Trilogy ($28) which was an absolutely decadent dish of duck prepared in three different ways. The dish literally had me speechless. Each ingredient was carefully placed in layers creating a tower of savory-sweetness as were its flavors. The sweet potato mash lined the plate and the splash of orange was the backdrop for the star flavour – duck. The medium rare duck breast fanned across the mash and topped with the duck leg confit and a perfectly cooked brandied foie gras with candied orange zest perched on top of the confit. The depth of flavours was intense and the sweetness of the candied zest and sweet potato paired perfectly with the savouriness of the duck.

Nothing else really mattered after the star dish of the night and I ended the night with a dessert and an espresso hoping to end the yearning for more foie gras, but I’m not sure that is ever possible. If I could only have one meal before I die, it would include a big slab of foie gras and potatoes.

Chef Macerola treated my food date with a selection of house made Italian biscuits in a take-away box for his Birthday – a nice and personal touch that makes all the difference between a restaurant and a Chef that serves to survive or serves because it is their passion.

I would love to see our food scene in Mississauga grow for a few reasons including the fact that I am absolutely obsessed with food and it saves me the dreadful trek to Toronto. Port Credit is one of the go to spots in Mississauga for the most number of resto’s, bars and lounges in a stretch of a few blocks and Aielli Ristorante is definitely a place to add on your culinary list.
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