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Restaurant review

Cooking up a retro concept

By CHRIS SHERMAN
Published January 28, 2005

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Michael Rondou/tbt* At Timpano Italian Chophouse the atmosphere is as big and bold as the portions.

So the place doesn't have timpano, the savory bomb of macaroni and meatballs in pastry that was the pride of Big Night , the Italian feast on film. Nor is the newest restaurant in Olde Hyde Park Village the dream of two passionate, struggling immigrants.

Timpano Italian Chophouse, a hot chain concept from Orlando, captures a generous retro spirit with big helpings and style that would satisfy Louis Prima and the rival lugs in the movie.

Off-screen, the hip, hyped attitude already packs in bar hoppers, who flop on the leather sofas and drop big bucks.

The kitchen lays it on thick in the cut of the steaks and chops, and long in the list of martinis, natch. Timpano is determined to grab modern tastes: Flat bread pizzas are crackling crisp, the raw bar is jumping and the recipes are lively, with lots of thyme and a bit of innovation.

Yes, there's sizzle with these steaks -- and mussels too -- roasted in a cast-iron skillet and brought to the table spitting hot.

The mussels, tossed with salt and olive oil, are a good place to start. So is the fresh tomato flat bread; the separate raw bar menu actually offers a bargain in the chopped salmon tartar, a refreshing cooler. Tomato stack was so-so on my visit, but watercress, arugula, apples and walnuts made a reliable alternative.

Prowling around the starters may turn up the smartest and cheapest eating here; they are worth making into a light meal.

Yes, Timpano can hit show-off prices. Noonday "Lunch boxes" of soups, sandwiches and flatbreads, start at $11, and dinners beyond pastas run from $18 to $33 for a husky 12-ounce filet.

Among Italian entrees, cioppino was the best, a good mix of seafood in a lobster broth and a salty fish stock that I like better than tomato. Ravioli of lobster and rock shrimp didn't come close, skimpy stuff in a dull sauce, topped with sweet shrimp. These are a favorite house ingredient, and I can't see why. They are identified elsewhere as Royal Reds, shrimp that are beloved in the Panhandle, but here they were soft, soggy and without flavor.

The standard veal piccata was done well, tarted up with artichokes and punchy caper berries. A chophouse's gotta have chops, and for me that's a thick porker. There's nothing new here. Pork chops are a staple of our Spanish dinner houses; Timpano's, touted as "Kobe" pork, did come out tender, juicy and medium rare, as requested.

Sides sound exciting, but fail to live up to their promise. Grilled, roasted vegetables were cold and boring, wild mushrooms far too tame and roasted asparagus not as thin as I like. Keep trying. Good meat we have; better sides we need.

But Timpano got other trimmings right: decent bread, affordable wines and a surprising food savvy.

Maybe Olde Hyde Park's big nights will be back. It's looking sharper.

- Chris Sherman sherman@tampabay.com

Timpano Italian Chophouse

1610 W Swann Ave.

(813) 254-5870

www.timpanochophouse.net

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily; dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday

Details: Credit cards, full bar; smoking outside only

Prices: Lunch, $7.95 to $15.95; dinner entrees, $12.95 to $32.95.

Features: Sidewalk seating, raw bar, live music

[Last modified January 27, 2005, 13:32:38]