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Y! MyWebRestaurant Review
Savona Ristorante / Enoteca
Upscale Italian ristorante offers authentic dishes
Thursday, January 10, 2008
CENTERVILLE — On my second visit to Savona, a friend who once helped run an Italian restaurant in Chicago and I took turns waxing enthusiastic about what we loved most about Italian cuisine: the focus on freshness, the intensity of flavors that complement rather than overwhelm, the ability to elevate humble ingredients to something far greater than the sum of their parts.
This is the heart of Italian cooking — and it's exactly what chefowner Keith Taylor is showing a gifted touch of accomplishing in the opening weeks at his Savona Ristorante/Enoteca.
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The dining area at Savona, an Italian cuisine restaurant located in Centerville.
Savona, an Italian cuisine restaurant located in Centerville. 
The bar area at Savona, an Italian cuisine restaurant located in Centerville. 
Savona, an Italian cuisine restaurant located in Centerville, serves pork chop saltiimbocca.Savona Ristorante/ Enoteca
- WHERE: 79 S. Main St., Centerville [Map]
- HOURS: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday
- COST: Pasta dishes $11 to $16; meat and seafood entrees $18 to $26
- DISHES TO TRY: Macaroni and Cheese with sea scallops and prosciutto ($21), Beef Short Ribs ($24), Chicken Cacciatore ($18), Pork Chop Saltimbocca ($22)
- MORE INFO: (937) 610-9835
- MORE: Reader ratings, complete profile
More information
Taylor is no stranger to Daytonarea diners. A graduate of Sinclair Community College's culinary arts program, he worked at Bombay Bicycle Club and the West Milton Inn before landing a career-changing gig at l'Auberge, rising to serve as sous chef for both Dieter Krug before Krug retired and Dominique Fortin before Fortin launched C'est Tout. Taylor went on to serve as chef at Pacchia, Citilites and Country Club of the North before launching his own upscale Italian restaurant a month ago in the former Eclipse/Blue Moon building.
The place has been packing them in, and it's easy to see why.
Beef Short Ribs ($24) are elevated to new heights by a rich, complex red-wine reduction sauce, served alongside creamy polenta. Tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and herbs infuse the Chicken Cacciatore ($18) with layers of savory flavors. A similar wonderful alchemy occurs within the Snapper "Aqua Pazza" ($23) that is simmered with ripe tomatoes, tangy capers, briny olives and clams, served with couscous that soaks up the dish's juices.
Taylor also shows a deft hand with pasta dishes, starting with the positively decadent Macaroni and Cheese ($21), blended with chunks of Prosciutto San Danielle and topped with truffle-seared sea scallops. The Black Linguine Alle Vongole ($14) is accented with a garlic-white wine sauce, cherrystone clams and a sprinkling of fresh Italian parsley. Both are better choices than the Duck Ravioli ($14), house-made pasta surrounding a meager pocket of duck confit, served with pearl onions and an orange sauce.
Among the starters under the Antipasti heading on Savona's menu, Pan-Roasted Prawns ($11) come arranged (along with the prawns' heads) around a small mound of butternut squash risotto with sage oil — a generous and satisfying portion, built to share. The Fritto Misto ($10) calimari is less successful, though the lemoncaper aioli helps. Steak Bruschetta ($9) is artfully presented and also generous in portion.
But on a return visit, the Pan-Roasted Prawns seemed a completely different dish. The shrimps were smaller, and the heads were conspicuously absent. Taylor said later there was a hiccup in his supply of the heads-on prawns that was later corrected. The butternut squash risotto on the second visit had lost its complex flavors and toothsome bite.
The misstep was outweighed by other impressive touches: freshbaked salt-and-rosemary bread, served with a choice of butter whipped with garlic and honey, or an olive-oil/grated cheese dipping bowl. Cherry tomatoes that have been lightly roasted to intensify their flavors show up in the Salad Savona, dressed in a creamy dressing with a garlic kick. Adventurous wine enthusiasts will appreciate the Italian-laden wine list that appears to keep markups to a minimum. And all of the wines on the wine list are available for purchase and take-home, at prices below the wine list, Taylor said. Taylor says while his current menu evokes northern Italy, he'll shift gears with the seasons. "I think I've got a good sense of what the community wants," Taylor said. He's off to a promising start.
