TASTE
Mamma Mia
Authentic homemade Italian favorites are the order of the day at this charming Trattoria.
BY JULIE W. MARTIN
Pia’s Trattoria is just what you would expect from a restaurant in the artisan community of Gulfport—quirky, diverse and original. And ultimately, divine.
The cheery goldenrod-colored exterior of this Italian eatery seems plucked from the pages of food and wine travelogues. In an urban area so saturated with cemented sameness, one glance at the charming storefront—complete with cascading potted plants and the occasional dog resting at his master’s feet, can’t help but make a passerby pause and sigh with longing.
When Pia opened her intimate trattoria in 2006, both she and husband Tom Goff never imagined the tidal pull her authentic Italian cuisine would create in the Tampa Bay area. According to Goff, (who also is her business partner), the original plan was to keep the menu simple, offering fresh, Southern Italian classics in a friendly neighborhood setting. “Pia did it for the love of it, meeting the people, making the food,” Goff says. But, as word got out, the sidewalk on Beach Boulevard was clogged with customers queued up on a Saturday night—sometimes in line for a two-hour wait. Goff was both equally stunned and happily surprised. “We went from the idea of having people sit there and enjoy, but we never thought so many people would show up.”
Now Goff doesn’t need to seek therapy for turning away hungry patrons on a rainy night. Beginning late this fall, the original Pia’s will converge with a former office building next door, offering an additional 2,500 square feet to the current 1,600-foot configuration, with adjoining outdoor patio seating. No doubt this will please the regulars, including a fair amount of local Italians who depend on Pia to prepare their favorite homeland specialties.
Once inside this provincial paradise, it’s outside again, this time via the back door, which opens onto a European-style courtyard, most of which is covered with a thatched roof, surrounded by lush vegetation. French country tablecloths drape rustic tables, each with its own candlelit lantern. Tiki torches combine with tropical sea breezes and gentle ceiling fans suggesting a Havana café, while the late-evening patina favors New Orleans’ Garden District.
There’s an eclectic camaraderie of both celebration and romance, which bodes well while waiting for the entrées to arrive—which can take a while since Pia cooks everything from scratch (“She doesn’t even use a single can of tomato sauce,” notes Goff). Enjoyable first courses include the antipasti platter of sugared grapes with slices of imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, with grilled garlic ciabatta bread; or the Salmone di Capri, smoked salmon with a horseradish cream cheese spread, sprinkled with lemon pesto. The Insalata Pia features her signature salsa verde dressing, concocted with an profusion of fresh pesto mixed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, atop arugula, with Gorgonzola cheese and tomatoes.
Every evening, Pia rolls out the ever-changing specials. We were fortunate to try the salmon entrée—a thick fillet lined with sage leaves, wrapped in prosciutto and served on top of a bread pudding (think Thanksgiving dressing)—made from ciabatta and mushrooms. The combination of the fresh fish with the earthy starch was like a savory love story between air and water. An unusual pairing that worked.
Popular favorites flourish here, too, and never leave home. Pia’s meat-filled Bolognese sauce offered with a choice of five different pastas, or the made-that-day lasagna, all are part of the repertoire of recipes Pia remembers from growing up with her grandmother in Italy. For them, and for others who appreciate Pia’s passion for food, the seat is only part of the reward.
As the old Italian saying goes, “A tavola non si invecchia.” You don’t age while seated for a meal. 3054 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport (727-327-2190, piastrattoria.com)
