Rustico Restaurant & Wine Bar

By Stephanie and Michael Avent

401 Love Point Rd., Stevensville, MD 21666
(410) 643-9444
www.rusticoonline.com

When to Go:
Mon.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–midnight
Fri. & Sat.: 11–2 a.m.
Sun.: noon–10 p.m.

Expect to Pay:
Antipasto: $6–11
Insalate: $5–8
Entrées: $14–26
Wines by the glass: $7–12

The historic district of Stevensville has a fantastic new dining spot in Rustico Restaurant & Wine Bar, sister restaurant to the well-loved Luna Blu Ristorante Italiano of Annapolis. Owners Ivano and Michelina Scotto, and Gino Romano, joined together to open Rustico, which specializes in Southern Italian cuisine (particularly that of the Naples area), in a beautiful historic building that has seen quite a few restaurants come and go over the years. Ten-year Stevensville resident Ivano Scotto—also Rustico’s executive chef—has high hopes for this one, however. “We saw the need for an Italian restaurant in the area,” he says. When the location became available, he and his partners jumped at the opportunity. Scotto says that the community has responded very well to the restaurant, which opened its doors in December 2007.

On the night we visited, Mike and I parked in the lot at the back of the restaurant (where we could see the historic Stevensville train depot across the way), and walked down the gravel path toward the beautiful Victorian building that dates back to the late 1800s. We passed several groups of windows that showcase the different areas of dining room. Softly lit, with groups of guests chatting and nibbling by candlelight, Rustico already seemed warm and inviting. We entered through the center doors of the restaurant and glanced to the right to find the wine bar area, where more happy patrons were perched at the bar, which looked equally as intimate and welcoming.

The hostess led us through the entryway and into the main dining room, where she let us have the table of our choice—one in the middle of two large bay windows that overlook the town’s square. Rustic, yet elegant, the room is drenched in a soothing palette of warm gold, yellow, bronze, and rusty red colors, with richly colored wood floors and furniture, and fine linen tablecloths. Italian music played quietly in the background. The waitstaff, dressed in all black, added to the casual but chic environment. At the far side of the room, a pair of shimmery bronze curtains framed an archway, providing a view of the Tuscan Room, one of two private dining areas that accommodate small groups (the other is the Cellar Room).

Our server greeted us and took our drink order. This was a no-brainer for me—I’d heard great things about Rustico’s popular Cosmocello ($9), a combination of Caravella Limoncello (an Italian digestivo made from the finest lemons of the Amalfi Coast and sugar), Stoli Citros vodka, and a splash of cranberry juice. A perfect combination of tart and sweet (the sweetness of the Limoncello really shines through), the martini certainly lives up to its reputation. Forgoing a selection from the 20 under $30 list of wines by the bottle (because I was cheerily cosmo’ing tonight), Mike chose a glass of the A-Mano Fiano/Greco ($7), a blend of the local varieties Fiano and Greco di Tufo from the Puglia, a light-bodied, bright white, with hints of peach and citrus.

We ordered our salad and antipasto, the Insalata di Arugola ($7) and the Gamberi Napoletana ($11), and nibbled on the warm bread that was delivered to the table. The salad was perfect with its arugula leaves and marinated tomatoes dressed in a very light, refreshing balsamic vinaigrette, topped with thin shavings of fresh Parmesan. The Gamberi Napoletana was sautéed shrimp, with garlic, tomatoes, capers, and black olives served over grilled Italian bread. The saltiness of the capers and olives worked well with the slightly sweet taste of the plump shrimp and garlic, and with the mild, somewhat sour taste of the crusty bread.

Entrée decisions were not as easy. Menu offerings were many, and included 11 pasta dishes, six seafood selections, and five different styles of chicken or veal. Eventually, I decided I was in a veggie mood that evening, so I ordered the simple Fusilli Vegetali ($14), a generous portion of nicely cooked, spiral-shaped pasta served with artichoke hearts, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, and roasted red peppers in a barely-there white wine sauce. Topped with cracked black pepper and Parmesan cheese, it hit the spot.

Mike selected the Vitello Picatta ($21), a lightly seared cutlet of veal with capers, served in a lemon white wine sauce and a choice of angel hair pasta or asparagus. Mike chose the latter, considering that we had peeked at the dessert menu ahead of time and spotted a few contenders. The veal was tender, and the picatta sauce commendable.

Though we were tempted to order one of everything on the dessert menu, Rustico’s house specialty, an Italian dessert called zabaglione, was our choice in the end. The smooth, creamy concoction of light, airy, egg custard creamed with sweet marsala wine came served in a glass with fresh strawberries. While we indulged, Ivano Scotto and Gino Romano stopped by for a chat. We discussed the new restaurant, the owners’ backgrounds (Romano oversees the front-of-the-house operations with Michelina Scotto, and, like the Scottos, has a long history of experience in Italian restaurants), the menus (the wine bar offers a separate menu that includes flat-bread pizzas), and, of course, wine. Ivano is the wine expert of the bunch and chooses those on the list, which focuses primarily on Italian varietals from 20 different regions—and guests can buy $30 bottles for half price on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays! We parted ways, and decided that, like the owners, we’re hoping that Rustico will remain a part of Stevensville for a very long time.

Michael Avent studied at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He has 15 years of culinary experience and is currently the sous chef at a prominent restaurant in Baltimore. Stephanie Avent is associate managing editor for What's Up? Annapolis magazine and has 12 years of experience in the restaurant industry.