The Gainesville Times




	Giuseppe's brings authentic Italian food to western PW By: Dan Roem 05/16/2007 Email to a friend Post a Comment Printer-friendly DINNER TIME: Josie Russo, co-owner of Giuseppe's in Haymarket, grabs orders in the restaurant kitchen on a busy Saturday night. Authenticity. The concept as a business model is not too hard to pierce: if a restaurant owner markets his or her food as "one-of-a-kind," then curious diners may give it a try and see if the place is truly unique. There is something about Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano in Haymarket that is uncommon to other Italian restaurants in the area though, as the owners are Italian-American. No, they're not Italian-American in the "Well, my mom's from Naples and my dad's from Venice" sort of way. Josie and Giuseppe "Joe" Russo were actually born and raised in the boot-shaped, European country and immigrated to the United States. They took their culinary and business skills abroad in the 1960s and their "Joe's" restaurants in Gainesville and Nokesville have been institutions in western Prince William County since the couple started up shop here more than 25 years ago. Moving on up Josie Russo, born in Palermo, Sicily, said she and her husband decided around the turn of the century that they wanted to sell the Gainesville business because of uncertainty surrounding the impending interchange expansion at U.S. 29 and Interstate 66. The old Joe's Restaurant is at the intersection of Route 55 and U.S. 29, south of the 7-Eleven on the west side of Lee Highway, and it now has a new owner. Though any plans to complete the interchange will not be fulfilled until at least 2013, Josie said she wanted to get ahead of the curve and relocate before traffic becomes more problematic than it already is. While the Virginia Department of Transportation mulled over what to do with Gainesville, the Russos opted to head two miles west. "We saw there was this piece of land for sale here in Haymarket," she said, referring to her newest restaurant's location at 15120 Washington St. It was the first building they looked at and the only one they wanted. "We thought, 'We're going to buy it'," Josie said. Joe and Josie ultimately sold the Gainesville shop and, after two years of waiting for permits to be cleared and plans to be approved, the doors of Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano opened to the public in September. The Town of Haymarket requires the outside of such a business to be modeled according to the town's "colonial" theme. The red brick, two-story building thus has a covered porch with five black, wire tables where diners can sit while watching a blue sky transform to the dusk of night, or, as was the case last Saturday, still enjoy the spring air while staying out of the rain. A taste of Italy Josie said she likes that Haymarket has a "little, small-town feeling" to it, and given that the restaurant is spotted right off Route 55 and is walking distance from U.S. 15 and I-66, the old mantra of "location, location, location" sits well in town. Not to mention that this style of restaurant is exclusive in western Prince William County. Take, for example, an appetizer served there called "arancini." According to the menu, it is made of up "deep fried rice balls stuffed with ground beef, green peas and prosciutto." "Unless you went to Italy, you will not be able to find (it) available around here," the brown-haired, bespectacled Josie said, twirling her hands in true Italian fashion as she spoke. Other items are as Italian as they sound, like vittello inbottito con prosciutto and formagio (veal stuffed with prosciutto ham and cheese) and penne alla puttanesca (when literally translated, it means something much more raunchy than a pasta dish that has black olives, onions, garlic and marinara sauce). According to Josie, her parents, who also ran restaurants, told her "not to give people something you wouldn't eat." Thus, she emphasizes freshness for all of her ingredients. "We don't believe in using anything canned because fresh tastes so much better and is better for you," she said. Goods are brought into the store from distributors so it's not fresh in the "straight-from-the-garden" way, but in the kitchen, preparation makes the difference. "You cannot really have experience cooking our food," Josie said, adding that Joe trains the cooks. Part of the experience Josie created that could be shared with everyone from servers to patrons is the atmosphere, which she described as a "rustic, Italian place. "I wanted people to feel like they are in Italy," she said. Speakers humming Italian music via streaming Internet help convey that feeling, as does the two-tier wooden chandelier hanging above the staircase and the two paintings of a smiling Giuseppe, donated by friend and customer Lloyd King. Saturday night on the town A group of eight high school students ate in the tranquil upstairs dining hall Saturday evening before heading in their limousine to prom at Liberty High School. Across the room, a bridal shower gathering had partied earlier behind the closed doors of the banquet hall, causing one bartender to joke that they enjoyed their time more like a "bachelorette" party in the Hollywood Movie Star Room, as the hall is lined with pictures of Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando and other cinema stars. Downstairs at a more dimly lit, full-service bar, near black-and-white photographs of Hall of Fame baseball players like Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams, the authentic Italian theme continues to resonate with Sicilian wines like Amaretto, Sambuca and Galiano, along with a draft Birra Moretti ready on tap. And, of course, off to the side, there's an espresso coffee machine. "How can you live without espresso and cappuccino?" Josie asked. "We love what we're doing," Josie said, later noting that the restaurant is a true family affair as she, Joe, their son Sal and grandchildren Austin and Jacob all work there. Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. More information can be found by calling the restaurant at (703) 753-1004.