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 Michelangelos equaled Italian food. With the arrival of Massimo all that changed; here at last was real Italian, cooked, if not served, by the genuine article. When Massimo himself is in the kitchen, most things go well; the risotto del giorno is spectacular (hope for scallops with asparagus or shrimp with saffron), the gnocchi pillowy paragons. But the baby squid with a lemon-oil dressing simply fails to seduce as it once did. One of our favorite pastas, tagliolini al limone, has been replaced with the same pasta garnished with sea scallops and asparagus in a saffron cream, so we aren't complaining much. Nor do we quibble over the impeccable saltimbocca alla romana with fresh sage and prosciutto. We do yearn for the old, more rustic buffet of antipastos. But we also sigh for the carre d'agnello al forno (roast rack of lamb) with mint and garlic. So there you have it: ambivalence. Best to repair to the Testarossa red bar and order a Negroni or two to sort this all out.