By Dale F. Bentson
Fred Maddalena is beginning his sixth decade in the restaurant and cabaret business. Starting in Toronto, he made his way to Las Vegas and finally the Bay Area, rubbing elbows with the famous and infamous along the way.
He matured in the heyday of supper clubs and nightclubs. Few can match his experience and knowledge, and fewer still are actively engaged in the business.
This year he celebrates the 30th anniversary of his Maddalena’s in downtown Palo Alto, adjacent to his Café Fino, which opened in 1989. The two spots have a common kitchen and share the same menu. With an open passageway, music from the jazzy Café Fino wafts gently through the more sedate dining room of Maddalena’s.
The Maddalena side is reminiscent of the old-fashioned supper club: upholstered, softly lit and romantic. The Café Fino side boasts an art deco décor and is fashioned for entertainment. Café Fino has live music — jazz or Italian arias — every night but Sunday.
“Being in the restaurant business is a challenge but never a chore,” the affable Maddalena said. “It is rewarding seeing the children of children of my original patrons coming to the restaurant. Maddalena’s is a special-event restaurant; we have numerous banquet rooms upstairs and can accommodate large parties.”
While the upholstered supper-club atmosphere is dated in today’s era of open-spaced, earsplitting, minimalist restaurant décor, it’s pleasant stepping into a serene ambiance and enjoying conversation that need not be shouted. That is what Maddalena’s is all about.
Unfortunately, with few exceptions, the menu is also in a time warp. Happily, the restaurant will soon unveil a new, and I hope updated, menu.
For starters, the bruschetta ($8) was a heaping pile of tasty crostini topped with chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and shreds of beets. Ahi tuna ($9) was ever-so-lightly seared and served with a slightly spicy pink peppercorn vinaigrette. It was a worthy dish, the fish fresh and the vinaigrette snappy.
Less successful were the baked scallops gratinati ($10). Bay scallops are small and succulent, but these possessed little flavor. They were served on four shells mimicking the briny origin of the bivalves. Topped with spinach, roasted fennel and Gruyere cheese, the scallops had a presentation more gooey than delicate.
One evening, homemade gnocchi with salmon ($8) was the special first course. The gnocchi, made daily on the premises, was delicate and spongy. Two versions of salmon, smoked and grilled, provided a luscious taste sensation.
The main courses were tried and true — and the mainstay of restaurants for the past 30 years. Capellini ($16) was a mound of thin-cut pasta with prawns, pancetta, Roma tomatoes and basil in olive oil. A savory dish on a cold winter’s night.
Veal Maddalena ($24) is the signature dish of the house, according to Fred. The scaloppine was delicate, lean and tender. Excellent breaded eggplant (I wish there had been more), porcini mushrooms, braised leeks and peppers accompanied. Easily the best dish on the menu.
Osso buco alla milanese ($26) was a classic Italian rendering of veal shank braised in white wine, olive oil, stock, onions, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, celery and lemon peel. The dish at Maddalena’s was drowned in tomato sauce, making this version more Salisbury steak than the tangy, richly flavored version I had envisioned. The near-overflowing bowl of crimson sauce overshadowed the delicacy of the veal.
Osso buco means “bone with a hole” or “hollowed bone.” This refers to the veal shank with its large and tasty marrow filling. This dish is characteristically garnished with a gremolata, a mixture of Italian parsley, garlic and grated lemon peel. Here, it was not. Further, the menu stated the dish was served with saffron rice. The rice contained not a shred of saffron. In fact, several of the dishes were served with the blandest, most ordinary white rice.
Roasted chicken with rosemary ($22) came with soft polenta herbed with rosemary. A dull dish — nothing special, nothing wrong. The menu called it “Sonoma chicken Tuscan style.” Other than the polenta, there was nothing Italian, let alone Tuscan, about it.
Scallop and prawn Bordelaise ($24) at least had some flair. Sea scallops and prawns had been sautéed in lemon butter and Champagne sauce. “Bordelaise” is a compound sauce made of wine, shallots, herbs and marrow. I could not verify by taste whether this was a true Bordelaise but the flavors were richer than most other dishes.
I also liked the poached salmon ($23). The generous filet was coated in Dijon beurre blanc sauce. Many restaurants have eschewed poaching salmon in favor of the more fashionable grilling, but salmon is delicate, fleshy pink and ambrosial when poached. Unfortunately, the salmon was served atop a mound of nothing-special white rice. Lemon risotto, which the restaurant makes, would have made this a singular dish.
Desserts were old fashioned. Chocolate mousse cake ($8) incorporated dark and white mouse into a devil’s-food-type cake topped with chocolate. Bread pudding ($8) was very tasty with large chunks of soft white bread that absorbed the luscious cream.
The creme brulée ($8) was OK, a generous portion with the caramelized brown sugar on top not quite caramelized enough and the custard not quite viscous enough. The tiramisu ($8) was just plain bad. No flavor, no creamy texture, no fun. It resembled a square of cornbread with frosting.
Several house specials can be prepared tableside for two or more ($10 per person). Bananas foster is a dessert created in 1951 by chef Paul Blangé at Brennan’s in New Orleans. In a copper skillet, our waiter quickly sautéed sliced bananas in butter, rum, sugar and banana liqueur then flambéed the ingredients over vanilla ice cream. It was a showy yet effective and delicious way to conclude an evening. Cherries jubilee can also be made tableside.
There was a Grand Mariner soufflé on the dessert menu but it took a half-hour to prepare. Alas, none of the wait staff, on any of my visits, mentioned ordering the soufflé ahead of time.
The service was, on all occasions, attentive and helpful (save for the soufflé omission). Especially accommodating to larger parties, the staff also never neglected tables for two.
The wine list is a smattering of many elements: California, Oregon, France, Australia, Italy, Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot, Meritage, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Champagne. It is a something-for-everyone list without depth in any particular area.
Maddalena’s and Café Fino is an old-fashioned dining experience. A new menu, though, could not arrive soon enough. While the food is generally well prepared, there just isn’t much imagination in the kitchen.
Maddalena’s & Café Fino
544 Emerson St., Palo Alto
(650) 326-6082
www.maddalenasrestaurant.com
Hours:
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Daily, 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
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