THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Massimo Ristorante Italiano

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Massimo Ristorante Italiano Restaurant Review:

For years, San Antonians assumed that red sauce, red carpets and either murals of Capri or mini Michaelangelos equaled Italian food. With the arrival of Massimo a few years back all that changed; here at last was real Italian, cooked, if not served, by the genuine article. In fact, the genuine article---from Rome, from Lago di Como, from many other parts Italiano---has revolved through the kitchen on a regular basis since opening day, a situation that would be perceived as a problem if the cuisine hadn’t improved nearly every time. (Both Massimo and his brother Antonio are currently co-capos of the kitchen.) Savvy San Antonians are now used to---and even expect---appetizers on the order of sautéed wild mushrooms with truffle-flavored grilled polenta; the radicchio and Gorgonzola salad with caramelized walnuts seems practically commonplace; daily gnocchi and risotti are almost offhand; and secondi on the order of pan-roasted fresh salmon in a potato crust or New York sliced steak with garlic and rosemary over arugula and chopped tomatoes continue to remind us that tie-staining red sauce isn’t necessarily the hallmark of Italian cuisine. If the core menu has changed little of late, daily specials have continued to push the envelope. Fish from sea bass to halibut to grouper frequently appear, for example, but Massimo is also perfectly happy with the customer who simply says just feed me; that’s when the real specials start to arrive. Desserts such as a free-form apple tart transcend the usual spumoni scene, and the Italocentric wine list continues to yield rewards, especially in areas off the main, Tuscan track. The restaurant’s simple but sophisticated bistro-style interior is an unusually good introduction to the kitchen’s attitude; it seems equal parts vero and very relaxed.