Tutto Gustoso brings proper Italian to growing Allen restaurant scene

Watters Creek Village in Allen has recently undergone major upgrades to the restaurant space. Vaqueros Bar-B-Q led the way, followed by Shiva’s Bar and Grill, alongside staples like Village Burger Bar and The Blue Fish sushi. The latest addition is Tutto Gustoso Ristorante Italiano, owned and operated by well-known restaurateur Leo Gravina, who has made his mark on the Allen dining scene with the very successful Numero 28. This creation takes the diner up a notch, toward a more modern, creative Italian experience. 

Gravina has had a wide-ranging career in the operations space, starting in London with Italian fine dining group Bice, followed by a celebrity-filled stint in bartending and managing in Miami, eventually ending up in Dallas with time spent at the Gaylord Texan and as an operations manager with the Lombardi Group in Legacy West. Finally, the call of owning his own restaurant was too strong, so he set out on his own. The point: this is no mom-and-pop shop.

One thing Gravina made clear to us is that he is not the chef. He helped create the menu with head chef Enrico Glaudo, and then let the chef get creative from there. Being from Italy, he mentioned it was important for him to find a chef from the homeland as well. Imagine that, an Italian restaurant run by Italians. Not as easy to find as one might think.

Settling nicely into the space once occupied by Cru Wine Bar, Tutto Gustoso (Italian for “everything delicious”) has a lively, energetic vibe, with upbeat music and lots of natural light. The patio overlooks the green space at Watters Creek and is an ideal spot for people-watching or taking in a concert without being in the middle of the crowd.  

Our visit started with a bruschetta appetizer. We picked 3 out of the 7 offerings, which were presented nicely on a wooden serving board. Our selections were the cherry tomato jam with basil, mushroom and ricotta, and prosciutto and goat cheese. The bruschetta was toasted perfectly and this is a great appetizer to share. The grilled eggplant tower looked amazing on its way to another table and gave us a bit of fomo.

Next we tried the soft-shell crab appetizer special. This dish was presented beautifully on a plate decorated with sliced almonds and olive oil and ringed by balsamic vinegar. The crab was lightly fried and rested on a piece of bruschetta with peppers and onions. We found the raw red onions a little overpowering, and might have preferred the well-prepared crab on a warm appetizer rather than a cold one. Either way, we rarely pass up on soft-shell crab when it is on the menu, and we were glad we tried it.

Entrees started with tagliatelle bolognese, which included house-made pasta with a robust meat sauce covered lightly with fresh shaved parmesan. The pasta was excellent and there was plenty of sauce. This dish left us satisfied and very full. 

Rounding out our evening was the cioppino. Everyone from the host, our server, and even the bartender told us this was a must-try, and it definitely lived up to the billing. The broth was light and buttery and not too strong on the tomato side, a perfect balance. The bowl was almost overflowing with clams, mussels, shrimp, salmon, scallops, calamari and branzino. The portions of fish were large, and the scallops were giant as well. There was plenty to share or take home the next day for lunch. The cioppino is on the “specials” menu, but our server added, and was reinforced by Leo, that so many people come for this dish that it is almost always one of the specials for the week. We liked it so much that it would be hard to order anything else, although the black garganelli made with squid ink and lobster made a strong case for a try on the next trip. 

Tutto Gustoso (842 Watters Creek Blvd., Allen) is open for dinner only after 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and offers all-day dining the rest of the week. Visit on Wednesday evenings for half-price bottles of wine.