Desiderios / Photo x Sarah Nowakowski for Step Out Buffalo
The Village of Hamburg has an incredible dining scene, but there’s been a pasta-shaped hole in the community’s heart for a while now. Ever since the legendary Tina’s Italian Kitchen turned off its burners, classic Italian fare was hard to come by in the village.
You could find a great burger or a craft cocktail, but the soul-warming comfort of slow-simmered marinara remained elusive…
However, that changed recently when Rob and Tommy Desiderio stepped into the breach with Desiderio’s Italian Restaurant, an upscale red sauce joint in the former Carte Blanche space.
Photo courtesy of Desiderios
Pedigree written in garlic and olive oil
Stepping into Tina’s shoes requires pedigree, and the brothers Desiderio have that in spades. They spent years under the tutelage of their father and uncle, who co-own Bobby J’s Italian American Grille in Cheektowaga.
In addition to growing up with the smell of sautéing garlic ingrained in their brains, the brothers went to culinary school for a more formal education. Tommy took his education on the road with a stint in Italy after culinary school. Some of the lessons he learned in the old country can be seen on Desiderio’s opening menu.
“It was always our dream to open up our own place, and we found a great location in the old Carte Blanche,” Rob says. “We’re just happy to be there, in the kitchen, and making our family recipes.
“I know there hasn’t been Italian in the village since Tina’s left a while ago, and they were a great restaurant. So, I know some of the community members were looking for Italian, and this felt like a great opportunity.”
Photo courtesy of Desiderios
The star of the show: simple and slow
The menu at Desiderio’s isn’t about over-the-top gimmicks; it’s about the “low and slow” magic of traditional Italian cooking. The marinated eggplant appetizer ($13) is straight out of Grandma Kay’s recipe box. The orecchiette with homemade sausage and rapini greens ($25) blends spice and savory. While the menu is stacked with family classics, there is one dish you absolutely have to put on your radar: the Pasta Genovese ($27) that Tommy brought back from Italy.
“It’s made with really simple ingredients, like a lot of Italian food is,” Rob says, “just beef, slow roasted with onions until it’s really savory and delicious, then tossed with ziti and finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano.”
At the bar, there’s a selection of Italian and other wines that are intentionally selected to pair with the food. There are also signature cocktails. While the Star-garita is made with tequila, Campari, and fresh lime juice, the Italian mule is made with Aperol, ginger beer, lime juice, and orange juice.
Trying to keep a low profile, for now
When we spoke, Desiderio’s had only been open for a few weeks, and the brothers had intentionally kept a low profile while they worked out their processes in the front and back of the house. But despite efforts to keep a low profile, the response has been massive. It turns out, when Buffalo sees a familiar name on a sign, they show up in droves.
“I think people recognize the name on the sign and are interested in checking it out,” Rob told us. “I’m surprised by all the support we’ve had so far. You know we’ve been open for a couple of weeks, and we’ve been busy.”
If you’re a fan of the Desiderio family’s cooking or a Hamburg local desperate for local Italian, this is a moment you’ve been waiting for. For the rest of us, it’s yet another great reason to see what’s happening in the Village of Hamburg.
Hours at the time of publishing (subject to change): Wednesday to Sunday 4 p.m. – 10 p.m., Monday and Tuesday CLOSED
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