Update: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Campania's team says the restaurant's opening date has been pushed back to tomorrow night and lunch service to January 19.
The Design District will have another Italian restaurant to add to its roster of eateries tomorrow night when Campania opens its doors for dinner in the former Egg & Dart space.
This will mark Tony Gallo and chef PIetro Vardeu's third Miami establishment. The first, Sardinia, focuses on cuisine of the region its aptly named after and has been a staple amongst locals in search of a fine bowl of pasta since 2006, long before Sunset Harbor became the dining neighborhood it is today.
Moye, which opened just a couple of months ago in Brickell, dedicates its menu to the regional cuisine of Puglia, while Campania will honor the fare of Naples and the Amalfi Coast by way of made-to-order pizzas, calzones, and pastas.
See also: At Moyé, Sardinia's Team Serves Chow From the Heel of Italy's Boot
A custom-made pizza oven, imported from Italy, is the restaurant's focal point from which fresh to order pies will be fired at rapid speeds. Think marinara (tomato, garlic, and oregano; $10), capricciosa (tomato, mozzarella, artichokes, ham, black olives, and mushrooms; $14), and ortolana (tomato, mozzarella, grilled zucchini, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes; $14). Campania's eponymous signature pie is a white pizza with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugula, and prosciutto ($15).
If you like to fold your pizza into a pocket, you'll be particularly fond of the calzone selection, which includes the marechiaro (mozzarella, tomato, ricotta cheese, salami, pepper, and basil; $13). Other rustic Italian offerings include shrimp wrapped in kataifi pasta ($16); arancini with mozzarella in carrozza, potato croquettes, and zeppoline, frittatine ($16); and steamed mussels with oregano and white wine ($12). Mains include veal milanesa with mozzarella and basil ($24); wood-fired shrimps, calamari and rock fish ($24); and baked branzino ($24).
Of course, no Italian restaurant would be complete without pasta, so Vardeu's come up with a selection of items unique to Campania. They include gnocchi with meat sauce, mozzarella. and basil ($16); and scialatielli, homemade flat noodles served with a pound of fresh Maine lobster ($22). Chef promises to use the freshest ingredients possible, both local and directly from Italy.
Another component of Campania will be a sleek marketplace where guests can acquire freshly made buffalo mozzarella and burrata amongst other things encased in glass. The dining room décor will emulate the rustic and casual feel of the menu with distressed white tables and chairs, black-and-white photography of Campania, and a wine wall.
Campania opens tonight for dinner and will serve dinner nightly from 4 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday. Lunch service will begin next Monday, January 12.
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