Dining Out: Il Posto Bistro, Canandaigua
Eatery Boasts a Welcoming Atmosphere and Fine Dining
By Christopher Malone
Il Posto Bistro has a certain je ne sais quoi — something I’ll refer to as the Finger Lakes bistro, and it’s not because it has that particular word in its name.
The Canandaigua eatery reminded me of The Red Dove Tavern, a particular favorite place of mine in Geneva which has closed, as well as other one- or two-room restaurants across the region.
I’ll define these regional bistros with being on the smaller side but not cramped, having at most three rooms with dining and a bar area, lacking technology or television distractions and featuring a to-the-point menu with intricate but not pretentious options.
Do these bistros differ from any other across the United States or even abroad?
No, it fits the bill in a good way and in a setting that does not feel like a city.
What you see is what you get: Particularly, Il Posto’s casual upscale eatery boasts a welcoming atmosphere, banks on aesthetic conciseness and is run by a staff with a knack for hospitality.
These are the places subtly giving patrons more than one reason to focus on their food and the people with them.
Il Posto’s Italian-focused one-sided menu offers familiar favorites: pastas, a variety of seafood and it even has a section for little humans. Being something I’ve said before — the smaller the menu, the tougher decisions.
We kicked off the meal with a variety of starters: the mussels ($17), the meatballs ($16) and the octopus ($23).
The mussels bathed in a pool of white wine broth which was unapologetic about the noticeable but not overpowering garlic. Aside from the flavor, the majority of the mollusks were meaty and not very gritty — bang for your buck.
The starter also came with fresh, grilled ciabatta bread, valiantly serving its purpose as a sponge for the white wine broth.
The meatballs were as our server promised — huge. The two balls, which were slightly smaller than softballs, sat on a bed of mascarpone polenta. There was something lacking about the meaty duo. The herbs were there, which accentuated the flavor.
Yet my brother-in-law made a good point: They needed more fat. The meatballs did taste on the leaner side. This isn’t knocking the quality of the meat, which didn’t taste bland. A little more fatty oomph would have won us over.
The polenta was very good and didn’t lack in flavor. The use of mascarpone made the cornmeal dish very creamy. I was thinking there wasn’t enough of it but maybe it’s the simple fact I couldn’t get enough of it.
The octopus tentacle was served with nduja (spicy pork sausage), white beans, tomato and olive tapenade. It also came with gremolata (a green sauce basically comprised of parsley, lemon zest and garlic).
The briny dish may have left the ocean and left any perceived “fishiness” behind but the salt was certainly there. The octopus was either salted a lot or the salt came from the tapenade. It wasn’t 100% clear.
Still, it didn’t deter us from enjoying the meaty tentacle. Author’s note: I really, really don’t like olives. But I highly enjoyed this tapenade and would order it again.
The vongole ($28) is the pasta dish to enjoy if you don’t want to feel stuffed but are not looking to sacrifice flavor. The linguini and white wine sauce dish came with clams, shallots and was topped with chili flakes and breadcrumbs.
The simple yet put-together pasta dish was balanced. None of the ingredients overpowered each other and there was wine sauce still left over. You may need to ask for more bread.
One of the evening’s specials was the short rib and gnocchi dish ($27), which combines two very delicious things. Plus, Il Posto threw mushrooms in with that creamy white sauce. Sometimes it’s good to rely on instincts and order the first thing that sounds good.
The tender short rib and homemade gnocchi didn’t fall short in any way. The filling pasta dish didn’t permit saving room for dessert.
After adding in four pints of beer, the total came to $149 and change before tip.
The little Il Posto Bistro went big with clean amenities, affable staff and delicious food. It’s highly worth the visit, if you’ve never been, or a revisit several times over.
It’s one of the many places collectively making this Finger Lakes city that much more attractive for vacationers and regional staycationers.
Il Posto Bistro
137 S. Main St., Canandaigua
(585) 905-0535
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Sunday and Wednesday: Closed
Monday and Tuesday, Thursday – Saturday: 4 – 9 p.m.