Despite being new, Fabiola’s Spaghetti House & Deli has a cool old-school vibe and serves as two restaurants in one. It replaces Rocky Rococo on Regent Street.
There’s a lot to like on the menu. The rigatoni with Sunday gravy ($27) was awesome. The beef short rib was incredibly flavorful, and the meatballs and sausage were equally outstanding.
I also liked the chicken parmesan ($25), even though it sat under the cheese and the sauce a bit too long and thus was a little soggy. Still, I do recommend ordering this dish.
My server promoted the Rustic Fisherman’s Stew ($48) as being big and hearty. You get a hodgepodge of king crab meat, shrimp, clams and mussels in a wonderful tomato sauce that you could eat separately as a bisque (I had three pieces of garlic bread to sop it all up). It was certainly good to eat but not as filling as I was led to believe.
A major miss was the 12 oz. baseball-cut top sirloin ($38). The steak was tender but was soaking in a rich sauce that completely muted the meat. What makes it worse is that there was no mention of this sauce on the menu nor the huge dollop of pesto on top, which is bad if you have a nut allergy and weren’t expecting it.
Near the entrance of the restaurant is the deli counter where you can order sandwiches at lunchtime. The Regent ($16) is a wonderful Italian sub with a surprising amount of heat. Fresh mortadella, soppressata and prosciutto topped with pepper relish and a vinaigrette made each bite very flavorful.
Meanwhile, the Milton ($16) lets the tender roast beef shine by complementing it with sharp provolone and not overdoing it with the hot giardiniera, although I would have liked more of the creamy horseradish sauce. Next time, I’d like to try the duck fat matzo ball soup ($5 for a cup, $7 for a bowl).
Fabiola’s Spaghetti House & Deli serves lunch and dinner Wednesday through Monday.
