Expanding Horizons

The ‘Big Night’ at Ciola’s Italian-American Restaurant

Friday, 11am-11pm; Saturday, 4-11pm; Sunday, 4-9pm

Foodies everywhere flocked to see Big Night when it came out in 1996. The movie is about two brothers whose perfectionist Italian restaurant is pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. Desperate, they ask for help from a competitor who promises to get them some publicity by having music star Louis Prima come to dinner. At its heart, the story is about two brothers with different views about the role of quality, the importance of love, and the definition of success. At its soul, the film is about family, food, and fun. And what food!

Zuppa, risotto, timpano, roast suckling pig, and wine after wine after wine. As the night goes on, the crowd oohs and aahs as each new dish arrives. The group becomes friendlier with each pass of the wine bottles. By the end, the characters go through a stirring and heart-warming metamorphosis that reminds us all of the power of la famiglia. Despite the emotional story, at the end, all that most viewers would talk about was the magnificent feast. We had a lucky experience when Ciola’s Italian-American Restaurant re-created the meal.

The name of the restaurant is well-chosen. This isn’t a restaurant for folks who want to relive their visit to Napoli. It’s for people who want to remember what was great about the first three or four generations of Italians who immigrated to the U.S. Even by Italian standards, these immigrants were mavericks and pioneers, and the cuisine they created in America took our best ingredients and matched them to their home country’s best recipes. Ciola’s is the type of restaurant you would find in Manhattan’s Little Italy or Boston’s North End — good, hearty Italian-American food served in comfortable surroundings. Our Big Night meal was in a single room, loaded with 40-plus people sitting at two tables, presided over by the elated owner, Dan Ciola.

As soon as we walked in, we were offered heaping plates of antipasti and multiple bottles of wine. Our first sit-down course was a chicken consommé that looked identical to the one in the film. The crowd’s reaction was also identical — pleasure over the subtle yet perfectly harmonious flavors. Between courses, as people began to meet each other, the meal started taking on the feel of the movie. We heard laughter, saw budding friendships, and felt the excitement from a convivial staff that seemed to be having fun showing off what they could do.

The second course was three risottos (pesto, seafood, and cheese) arranged like the Italian flag. The seafood portion was especially delicious, with delicate aromas married to tasty flavors. By the time the risottos were finished, the camaraderie and the noise level had both gone up. Ciola and his wife were sitting at our table, drawing names for gifts. At the other table, two folks won gift certificates, one received a Leaning Tower of Pisa lamp. At our table, folks won DVDs of Big Night and Cucina & Familia cookbooks. Then, to the banging of pots and tapping of glasses, the timpano was served.

For the few of you who missed the film, the timpano was the centerpiece. It was a cake-shaped pasta, stuffed with meat, eggs, cheese sauces, and more pasta, then sliced like a cake and eaten with a chorus of happy groans. By this time, everyone was stuffed. That’s when they brought out a whole poached salmon, a fish that appeared to be about 20 to 25 pounds. As people were begging for mercy, the chefs Jason Brodis and Ron Brannon rolled out a caramel-colored whole roast suckling pig. Its meat was moist and chock-full of herbed flavors. While folks were looking for the Roman bowls and feathers, they brought out the final course — tray after tray of dolci, including cannoli, biscotti, limoncello cheesecake, and amaretto cookies.

Ciola’s food was always good and sometimes superb. Ditto for their wines. But the best part of all was the way Ciola’s caught the happy feel of the film. Though most people were strangers, by the end of the night, everyone was talking. Most people were in that pleasant state of tipsiness where each person is a friend and all is right with the world. But it wasn’t just the liberal amount of wine that gave the cheer. We all ended up feeling more like guests than customers. The Ciola family and their chefs had their heart and soul in this Big Night, and it was infectious. In the film, actor Tony Shalhoub says, “To eat good food is to be close to God.” Amen.

This article appears in April 18 • 2003.