Fresh look: Martini Modern Italian

Review By: John Champlin, Columbus Monthly

What once was Martini Italian Bistro is now Martini Modern Italian. It has the same owner, the folks at Cameron Mitchell’s, and, as the name states,still serves food inspired by the country shaped like a boot. But the makeover, from the menu to the décor, is significant. And for the good.  In fact, we are pleased to give it a four star rating.

Let’s start with the notable salads.The Caesar, which included arugula, was overdressed, but redeemed by a wonderful anchovy flavor. The heirloom beet salad, however, was a masterpiece. The beets were cut into angled chunks, marvelously tenderyet not soft. They were laid out in a crescent on arugula and frisée, with a pool of marvelous goat cheese dressing in the center and magnificent pistachios scattered around.

Bruschetta was a bit soggy, but delicious. The excellent fritto misto dimare, featuring calamari and asparagus, was crisp and tender. The antipasto was highly competent: finequality meats, cheeses and marinated veggies. The dish had an addition I’d not seen before: crisp, pancetta wrapped figs. Yum! And another item to rave about was the tuna crudo. The uncooked tuna was utterly fresh and fragrant, and the flavors, while mild,were distinct and perfectly blended.

All entrees were good and some outstanding.  Salmon was fresh enough with a nice crisp. Veal Martini included three slices of sautéed veal in a tasty sauce with a nice arugula.

Two pastas stole my heart. Veal and spinach ravioli got everything right: construction, flavor, cooking, sauce.  And the lasagna may be the best in town. It came as a straight-edged brickmade of thick and perfect pasta fresca—tender as love—and arrived in a moat of vividly red and tasty tomato sauce.They even provided a small dish of crushed hot pepper to sprinkle. To die for.

At the top of the menu were six imaginative cocktails. I couldn’t resist “pomegranate and tarragon.” It was sweet and quite tasty. The wine selection was small, not cheap and quite interesting. I managed to sample three and was impressed with each. A Veronese was quite austere at the start, but when paired with the lasagna, it sang bass notes. The Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio was delicious. My favorite, from the Piedmont region of Italy, was the rich and complex Barbera d’Alba.\

I also gobbled down the lemon meringue tart: lemony-sweet custard, real meringue in swirls and a fine berry compote.