an italian escape

PIATTI
an
italian
escape
The long-time favorite’s second location fits right into the Tuscan grandeur of Éilan.
by John Griffin • photographs by Al Rendon
W
hen Dan Ward saw that his list of regular clients at
San Antonio’s original Piatti in the Quarry included
people from the Dominion, Fair Oaks Ranch and Boerne. He knew that if he ever opened a second location it would
have to be situated somewhere close to them. So, after construction
began on the Éilan development, several years back, the restaurant’s
general manager felt he’d found the right spot. The Italianate architecture and ambience proved to be just right for Piatti’s lively mix
of pasta, pizzas and primo plates of cioppino, pan-seared Niman
Ranch pork chop and Tuscan-rub grilled New York strip steak. “This
whole development, it kind of takes you to some other place,” Ward
says. “I don’t feel like I’m in San Antonio anymore.”
bite into the squash “noodles” and encounter the seductive crunch
of pine nuts, the comfort of grilled chicken and the fresh tang of
spinach. They expect the macaroni to be bathed in the same garlic
white cheddar, rosemary and breadcrumbs that they have enjoyed
on previous visits. And after a rewarding meal, they want to indulge
in the richest chocolate cake possible.
Helping Ward is the fact that Piatti has been set up as “a local restaurant with the backing of a large corporation,” he says. It is part of
the Moana Restaurant Group, which operates nine Piatti restaurants
nationwide. The only two in Texas are here in San Antonio; one has
opened in Denver and another in Seattle while the remainder can be
Opening Piatti Éilan took time, three-and-one-half years to be exact,
and no small amount of patience before the restaurant opened its
doors in late 2013, but the wait appears to have been worth it. One
step into the comfortable dining space and bar area and you realize
how the design has been crafted to make you feel both at home and
yet a part of the greater Éilan setting. The interior walls by the kitchen
have been covered with rustic wood reclaimed from a barn while
the rest of the interior sports large blackened steel plates running up
to a background of creamy gray. Walls of glass line the exterior of
the restaurant and bring the epic scale of the outside development
inside. Mirrors do their part to bring in the great outdoors, too. “We
don’t need art in here,” Ward says. “Just look out that window.”
Atmosphere, of course, is only one part of a restaurant’s success. For
the new location of Piatti, Ward and his team have faced the challenge of making sure the dining experience is as consistent for guests
as it is in the original location, which has been open for 16 years
now. They want to know that the Shaved Zucchini “Tagliatelle” with its
creamy suga rosa sauce will always pack a forkful of wow when they
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Previous Page: Shaved zucchini, “tagliatelle” grilled chicken,
toasted pine nuts, spinach, suga rosa; Above: Tiramisu, “pick
me up” mascarpone, rum and espresso soaked ladyfingers
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Clockwise From Left: House made spinach and ricotta ravioli, lemon cream sauce; Meat Lovers Pizza, marinara sauce, mozzarella,
pepperoni, sausage, spicy salami, kalamata olives; Grilled Scottish Salmon, Italian wild black rice, sautéed spinach, sultanas, pistachios
Clockwise From Left: Cioccolata, rich, warm chocolate cake and chocolate ganache; Bibb lettuce, pickled onions, goat cheese, candied
walnuts, preserved lemon dressing; Cioppino “seafood stew””, clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari, seafood, spinach saffron lobster broth
found in California. The corporate backing helps provide access to
buyers, a move that helps Ward keep prices “at a very good value ratio,” he says. Ward also has the freedom to make sure the restaurant
suits his customers’ tastes and needs as well as the local market scene.
So, herbs from Bluebonnet Farms in Seguin are used, and many items
are made in house, including the pasta for the cannelloni, the pork
polpotini (meatballs) and the pork sausage used on the pizza.
If you like wine with your meal, Piatti has an extensive array of Italian and California favorites, from a flute of Prosecco to a bottle of
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and Antinori’s lush Pian delle Vigne.
Don’t overlook one feature of the wine list that’s fairly new to the San
Antonio market: the selection of wines on tap. That’s right. The wine
you’re getting by the glass is not some flat, stale leftover from a bottle
opened last week. The four whites and four reds offered have been
stored in kegs, so that, just like beer, each glass is as fresh and lively
as can be. These are not cheap wines, either. They include an Italian Verdicchio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio blend as well as a
Cabernet Sauvignon from California’s Central Coast and a BarberaNebbiolo blend from Italy. The wines are available by the glass or
in a half-liter carafe, so you don’t have to order a full bottle if you’d
mix up your selections. This is not a gimmick, Ward says. “This way,
the wine never touches air and never goes bad,” he adds. “It’s great,
quality-wise, and people love it.”
Also, when customers react favorably to a dish, it just might end up
on the menu. That’s what happened with the beef and faro salad
crowned with a pungent mixture of gorgonzola, pistachios and arugula. The salad had been offered as a weekly special that was supposed to make way for another of the chef’s creations. But customers
kept asking for it so often that it was added alongside such favorites
as the mixed Italian greens, the iceberg wedge and, of course, the
Caesar. That doesn’t happen too often, Ward says, because the customers want to know that the menu’s going to be consistent, too, so
the house-made spinach and ricotta ravioli with lemon cream sauce
or the cioppino with its mix of clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari
will be waiting for them.
Starters, such as bruschetta with a crudo of tomato and pesto, semo-
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lina fried calamari with a roasted tomato salsa and burrata with heirloom tomatoes can be had as appetizers or, as a growing number of
diners are seeking out, small plates that can be shared and snacked
on throughout their visit. Match that with a handcrafted cocktail from
the bar, such as the fizzy Spritz made from Aperol, Prosecco and orange, one of Italy’s favorite aperitifs, or a Capri Lemon Drop with
vodka, Limoncello and lemon juice, for a meal that reflects how many
in Italy enjoy an evening out.
For those with larger appetites, there’s a slab of grilled Scottish salmon that comes with Italian wild black rice and sautéed spinach or an
organic chicken breast “alla mattone,” which means cooked under a
brick, and served with seasonal vegetables. For pizza lovers, there’s
a meat lover’s pie piled high with pepperoni, sausage, spicy salami,
mozzarella and, for a pleasant tartness, Kalamata olives. Every dish
at Piatti is made to order, so if you have a dietary restriction or there
happens to be an ingredient you just don’t like, tell your server. “We
make the dish the way they want it,” Ward says. “We never say no
as long as we can make it happen.” That includes using gluten-free
pasta, leaving the croutons off an otherwise low-carb Caesar salad or
finding a way of making a dish vegetarian friendly.
Piatti Éilan has space available to host a variety of large parties.
There’s a room at the end of the dining area that can be curtained
off, so a group of 50 or so has privacy while they dine as well as the
capabilities of using audiovisual equipment for presentations. Above
the restaurant is a space for 100 to have a sit down dinner or for up
to 300 to have a cocktail party. In the warm weather, the patio outside
the restaurant, next to the cooling fountain, can also be blocked off for
cocktail parties of any size you could want.
Word-of-mouth has been building on the new location. Happy hour,
with its reduced-price drinks and a menu of small plates for $5, $6
and $7, is attracting a vibrant after-work crowd, while diners from all
over the area have shown up for the comfort of freshly prepared Italian food. Ward loves it when customers go out of their way to thank
the staff for a dish that really meant something to them, such as the
man who told him the Italian meatloaf, offered as a lunch special, reminded him of his mother’s when he was growing up. It had a taste he
thought he’d never experience again. “We’re not just about feeding
people,” he says. “We’re about making memories happen.”
Piatti Éilan
17101 La Cantera Parkway
210-251-3542
www.piatti.com/eilan
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