Thank you so, so much to everyone who commented on last week’s post or sent me an email or text.  Some of you went to see the movie, The Promise, as we did and really enjoyed!  I can’t tell you how much it is appreciated when you let me know what you are thinking, not only when I am writing about experiences that are particularly close to my heart, but also for all of my posts!  Engaging with the readers is the most rewarding part of writing The Kitchen Scout so I hope you will write back when you see fit.  I promise that only your name (as you write it so there’s some flexibility there!) and not your email shows up at the bottom of the post.

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A few weeks ago, my husband and I found ourselves with a free Saturday evening and I got a sudden urge to look at the ocean and have someone else cook us dinner.  After scouting out a few places online and conferring with my friend Susan who lives on the North Shore, we decided to head up to Gloucester, Massachusetts to check out Tonno.  Susan, I am now realizing, has appeared on the blog with the most frequency of any friend as she has joined me (and others) on trips to restaurants I’ve reviewed including Salt Kitchen & Rum Bar, The Market Restaurant, Short & Main, Ohana and The Blue Ox, all conveniently in her neck of the woods so it seems except for Island Creek Oyster Bar which is near me!  I hear her giggling right now as she is hopefully reading. In any case, she said she had been to Tonno twice and enjoyed it so I trusted her positive feedback and am so glad.  Let me tell you about our visit…

Located at the edge of Main Street in Gloucester, Tonno (Italian for Tuna) is owned by Anthony Caturano who opened the restaurant about one year ago.  Caturano is also chef owner of Prezza in Boston’s North End which we are now planning a visit to soon.  Perhaps the only disappointment in our otherwise excellent experience at Tonno was the expectation that we would be gazing at the Atlantic during our meal which is only available if you are sitting in a handful of seats looking out toward the street and beyond.  The meal more than made up for that however.

The restaurant seats 99 people, 16 at the bar and the remainder at a combination of communal high tops, banquette seating and a smaller lounge area with a fireplace.  There is a section that can be conveniently partitioned off for private events.  The interior of the restaurant is lovely with calming hues and unfussy decor that help you relax…

Since we arrived early for our reservation, we decided to sit at the bar and have a drink and an appetizer before dinner…

The bartender Christina took great care of us and took time to walk us through some of the specials and her menu favorites.  We decided to sample one of the special appetizers that evening which was a Tuna carpaccio presented with Calabrian chiles, fennel, and a lemon caper aioli.  This dish was outstanding.  The combination of the thinly sliced, ice cold raw tuna with the heat of the chilies, briny capers and acidity of the aioli was just perfection…

We could have stayed at the bar the entire evening and enjoyed our dinner there, but we wanted to sit down and experience the table service.

We thought the menu was well constructed and very approachable.  Italian influences abound and there is something for everyone, seafood lover or otherwise.  Sfizi or snacks get things started with offerings such as crudo, oysters and salumi.  Vegetarian options such as roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella and arancini (risotto balls that are lightly breaded and fried) are also offered which I liked and distinguishes Tonno from the crudo-salumi craze seen in so many restaurants.  We took our bartender’s advice and ordered the house made meatballs and ricotta.  I wasn’t sure about the heavy grating of cheese when the dish was brought to the table, but it worked quite nicely with the soft meatballs and the perfectly balanced flavors of the marinara that accompanied them.  The ricotta is actually mixed into the pork meatball in this preparation, keeping them moist and tender…

Beyond the Sfizi, the menu is quite extensive and naturally seafood-centric given Tonno’s location right near the docks where fresh fish is brought in daily during the season.  Primi offerings such as spicy octopus, crab cakes and mussels all looked appealing, but we were ready to move onto our main course.

House made pastas all looked delicious including Cavatelli with rape and sausage, Rigatoni Cacio Pepe, and a Tagliatelle Bolognese.  However, we had seen chef prepare a pasta with clams in a video on the website that looked outstanding and since it’s my husband’s favorite, we asked if it was possible for the kitchen to prepare it for him.  They happily obliged and although the dish wasn’t exactly as it was presented in the video, it was nonetheless delicious and an example of the wonderful service we received that evening…

Meat dishes are offered including a Rib Eye, a boneless half chicken, a grilled pork chop and veal Milanese.  I kept to the seafood and ordered a light dish of scallops “la plancha” served with a cauliflower puree and some bacon.  I was worried the scallops might be a touch overcooked, but they were not.  They had a nice crisp edge with a tender inside that was balanced nicely with the smooth cauliflower puree and a hint of smoke and salt from the bacon.  The only thing that I might have liked was a splash of lemon to finish it off (ironically when we were talking about the food, I said this within ear shot of our waitress who was helping another table and she offered the lemon!)…

We were having such a nice time and the drive was long so we decided to order some dessert because why not?  We chose the almond biscotti (my personal favorite) and a salted caramel butterscotch budino.  They were both scrumptious.  Have I used that word on the blog before?  It doesn’t even sound like me, but it’s appropriate to describe these delish desserts…

After dinner, we took a short walk on the docks just to get a brief moment with the ocean I had been craving earlier in the day…

Let me just say if Tonno were in my neighborhood, this is a place I would be at on the regular.  Great service, delicious food and a really fun vibe.  I hope you get a chance to visit sometime soon!

See you next week!

One Year Ago: Amuleto Mexican Table (Cinco de Mayo is next week – great option!)

Two Years Ago:  Quinoa Spinach & Feta Bites (Perfect to make for a snack on the go, especially for travel!)