This little gem of a restaurant is new to the dining scene in Gilbert, but Nico Heirloom Kitchen is already quickly becoming a favorite go to spot. With a wonderful atmosphere, incredible food, and friendly staff, we can’t wait to go back again.
Our wonderful waiter for the evening was Nathan. He was incredible, knowledgeable and we completely trusted him. We trusted him so much we let him curate our entire experience for the evening.
To start, Nathan brought us the Virtu octopus, grilled with arugula, lemon chickpeas and calabrese chile butter. Chef Gio Osso has won several awards for this particular dish including Phoenix New Times Best 100 Dishes. We also had the stuffed little neck clams served in the shell with sea salt. Both were so fresh and full of flavor, and dishes you can’t find in many Arizona restaurants.
For our salad we tried the Panzanella with toasted focaccia, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and avocado aioli. A very light, delicious, and refreshing salad perfect for a hot summer night. This is also a very traditional Italian salad.
You can’t have Italian and not try pasta. We tried the Penne Sugo with homemade pasta, spicy pink tomato sauce, parmigiano, prosciutto and peas. It was full of flavor with a slight spicy kick at the end. Pasta, perfected.
For our main entrees, just in case we weren’t stuffed enough, we had wood fired Branzino, the Mediterranean sea bass with citrus, fennel, arugula and prosciutto. A wonderful blend of flavors mixed perfectly. We also had the smoked duck served with black plums, valdeon blu, marcona almonds, and star anise carmelized onions. The blend of the plums, with the crunch of the nuts and the smoked duck was the perfect melody of flavors.
To end the night, we had the flourless chocolate cake. Every dish was executed perfectly, from the picturesque plating, to the perfectly mastered mixing of flavors. Every dish on the menu is created with the passion and love of food. And it shows.
To plan your perfectly crafted meal at Nico Heirloom Kitchen, go to nicoaz.com. You will leave ready to tell all your friends about the best new spot in town.