Fausto’s is the kind of neighborhood restaurant with regulars who’ve been coming for years — folks who want what they want, the way it’s always been.
New owners Michael Vicari and his cousin Stephen Gambino were very aware of that when they bought the restaurant earlier this year from retiring restaurateur Fausto DiPietro, who opened it with his brother Roland in 1990.
“We didn’t need to come in making changes,” Vicari says. “The restaurant has been great for 34 years.”
For the first month or so, the cousins kept watch and listened to regulars, asking how they might make Fausto’s better.
“I looked back at reviews to get a sense of any issues,” Vicari says.
Guests didn’t complain about the food, which is why chef Luis Ramos is still running the kitchen after 27 years on the job. The family recipes from Fausto’s Sicilian mother have stayed the same. The staff stayed on, assuring the same gracious service for the guests.
What some regular customers did point out was that the dining room could get crowded, especially with people lined up waiting for their tables. And it was loud. The cousins paid attention.
After a renovation, Fausto’s reopened in April with a slightly larger dining room, space gained when a patio was folded into the interior space. There is more room to maneuver between tables, and a lounge area was added to the bar. New carpet and sound panels were added to muffle the loudest din.
Regulars also wished for more parking, however, that wasn’t in the cards.
On a recent weeknight, the place was packed, with both Vicari and Gambino making rounds in the dining room. Because it was Tuesday, the special was linguine alle vongole — a large portion of al dente pasta swimming in a briny, garlicky broth topped with more than a dozen tender clams. It’s a rare find in a town where pristine Gulf seafood holds sway.
Arancini is one popular starter. As big as a baseball, the crispy fried ball is filled with arborio rice, ground beef, fresh basil and melted mozzarella. Parmesan-crusted fish is a popular entree, and veal is a winner for meat eaters. Beyond the parmigiano, veal is available in Marsala, saltimbocca and lemony piccata dishes.
Then there are the sleepers, like the fettuccine carciofo with shrimp and artichoke hearts, and the chicken Louisiana, a creamy mix of straw mushrooms, mozzarella and crawfish tails.
“I’m going to start posting photos and descriptions so people will be more inclined to try something different,” Vicari says.
Italian-American specialties have their place too, including eggplant parm, Alfredo dishes, spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna. For dessert, there is a house-made limoncello ice cream and an ethereal tiramisu.
The renovation also added more room for wine storage, allowing for an expanded offering of Sicilian wines. In the coming month or so, the partners will add an online reservation service, something that regulars have been asking for.
“We care a lot,” Vicari says. “This isn’t an investment where the only time we show up is to count the money. We cross-trained so whatever we need to do, we can step in and do the job.”
Danny Childs told us about making 'Slow Drinks,' using fermented products and his approach to seasonal ingredients behind the bar.
After owning a string of fast casual restaurants in Baton Rouge, Vicari moved back home to open an independent place of his own, a restaurant that spoke to his Italian heritage. His family hails from Alia, a town just south of Palermo, and Italian food was ever present in his home.
He spent a year traveling the country, going to Italian restaurants and taking culinary classes in commercial settings in everything from sausage and cheese-making to bread baking.
The cousins grew up close on the West Bank, but this is their first business venture together.
“Stephen and I have always been tight,” he says. “You know that one cousin you’re close in age with, do everything together? I asked him to come into the business with me, and he didn’t hesitate. He said absolutely. We are on the same page. This just feels right.”
Organizers of markets all over the city, including the popular Freret Market, say they are weighing if they can continue their markets.
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