313 Now Magazine Summer 2004
You’d be hard pressed to find a more extensive menu than the one featured at Mezzaluna Ristorante Italiano, located in Sterling Heights With over 70 entrees, 16 appetizers and a long list of daily specials, a diner could pour over this extensive catalogue for hours A recent trip to Mezzaluna’s left my co-diners and I doing just that, before we fell into the leisurely rhythm of a hearty European meal
Owned and operated by husband and wife Zarko and Dena Palushaj, along with Dena’s father, Nick Gojcaj, Mezzaluna retains the warmth of a family-run business without foregoing the sophistication required for fine dining. The sumptuous entryway sets the mood for elegance. Muted tones and plush chairs are punctuated by a large reception desk posed in front of a hand-painted mural. The carpeted floor and textured walls extend into the main dining area The main bar is settled in its own room complete with large leather chairs and a wide selection of cigars. Live music is presented five nights a week by one of their acclaimed performers. Shuttered windows, soft candlelight and crisp white tablecloths allow romance to prevail. In addition to the main dining area and bar, Mezzaluna houses a banquet room that serves up to 60 people. The restaurant also hosts a wine party every few months, which features a fixed-priced, five-course meal and the traditional crushing of the grapes, “Just like old times,” said Zarko.
Upon being seated, an assistant whisked our napkins onto our laps and bread and oil were placed before us. Our server arrived to deliver a friendly greeting, explained the ingredients of the olive oil dipping sauce and pointed out that our basket of breads were all house made. He was also helpful in steering us through the menu. Although I was wary when he told us, “There’s really nothing bad,” the food lived up to his claim.
After each of us ordered a glass of wine (an extensive wine list offered bottles priced from $19-$200), house recommended of course, we perused the antipasti (appetizer) list, from which our server recommended the gamberi alla cremosi. The dish was comprised of breaded jumbo shrimp sauteed in a lemon cream sauce with garlic, but we decide on the antipasto italiano instead because it featured a little bit of everything. The large platter arrived looking splendid; fresh mozzarella, layered with slices of tomato and fresh basil, house-roasted red peppers settled atop a mound of olives, rolls of ham, rounds of salami, and thinly sliced prosciutto draped over wedges of cantaloupe. The bold, fresh flavors mixed and matched with zest The other antipasti dishes ran the gamut from breaded mozzarella sticks to freshly sauteed little-neck clams, all with a heavy emphasis on seafood Prices for the antipasti dishes ranged from $7.95-$12.95.
Next we ordered soup or salad which came
include« with
every entree. I ordered the minestrone; a steamy tomato broth thickened
with beans,
vegetable chunks, and beads of pasta. My friends both had garden salads
dressed
in the house dressing, which was a creamy balsamic. When we finished,
our
server returned with a table comber to groom our progressively messy
spread
Then came the hard part: deciding on a main course. A menu so large
could not
be restricted to just the usual pastas Mezzaluna offers a generous
array of
chicken, veal, steak, fish and seafood in addition to the traditional
Italian
recipes. Entrees ranged in price from $12.95, for some of the simpler
spaghettis, to $25.95 for a 16-oz cut of veal.
Since I was in the mood for fish our
server suggested the salmon
No meal would be complete without dessert, and although we were taking the rest of our meals home with us, we still found room for a few more bites. The peach sorbet came in a sugar-frosted fruit shell that was delectably sweet. The tartufo, a two-toned gelato (Italian ice cream), tasted like creamy chocolate-dipped hazelnut, but felt light enough to enjoy after such a rich meal. The other desserts included tiramisu, made from scratch, creme brulee, two types of cheesecake, toscanella (layers of puff pastry topped with cream) and various gelati and sorbets.
Mezzaluna has
been open for
three years, but the food and service is so good, one might expect that
it’s
been around for ages. Much of the restaurant’s success is due to
Zarko’s
extensive background in the food industry. Albanian
by birth. Zarko studied hotel and
restaurant management in
When asked about his intent behind the enterprise, Zarko – who had a hand in everything from the menu to the decor – replied, “I’m trying for fine dining, but not too high. I’m trying to give people options ... We have something for everybody.” The other, perhaps more subtle, element at work is having a staff that functions as a team. “My main thing is working together,” said Zarko “Everybody for one, it doesn’t matter whose table. The customers are everybody’s not just one server’s One day I’m a cook one day a server, one day a bartender, one day a busboy.” Upon hearing this, I realized that Zarko’s passion for variety infuses all aspects of Mezzaluna, so long as his guests are happy. Just taking another look at the mammoth menu confirms it.