FOOD REVIEW: Liberatore’s Ristorante

When it comes to Italian food, my search for authenticity rarely finds me in chain restaurants. While your average big market eatery can surely provide a satisfying meal, they tend to also stray far from the path of true Italian flavors. 

It’s inevitable really—the bigger you get, the more hands go into your recipes, and the more generic and plain your food tends to become. Sure, fast food joints and American chains can mask dull food with gobs of grease and a healthy dose of overly salted sauces, but Italian food is about simplicity, and thus more locations usually means less quality. With all that said, my favorite part about this job—as always—is being proven wrong, and that was exactly the case this week when I visited.

To be fair, Liberatore’s has just seven locations around Maryland, which puts it a zero or two short of technically qualifying as a chain, but my idea of a perfect Italian kitchen involves a Sicilian grandmother hunched over a pot of sauce, and seven locations kind of squashes that notion. Despite my reservations I pressed on, and once inside my fears began to diminish.

While the bar at Liberatore’s is little more than a dimly lit afterthought, the dining room is spacious and arranged in an open table layout. There is a perception of Italian food as a secluded romantic affair; the truth is, Italian dining is as much about community as it is about the food itself.  The open arrangement promotes a sort of brotherhood among diners that works to enhance the experience.

In my travels through the culinary landscape I have found that outside of diners, Italian chains tend to have some of the most extensive menus anywhere. Personally, when I’m trying to decide on dinner I’m not too fond of navigating through 200 choices. To make things worse, most Italian restaurants have the annoying habit of listing four different dishes using the same exact sauce, changing only the accompanying protein. Neither is the case at Liberatore’s. The menu is simple and to the point. 

With a handful of choices of pasta dishes to go along with several options of chicken, veal or seafood, Liberatore’s doesn’t insult its customers by trying to boast a plethora of dishes, but rather sticks to the basics and just offers dishes they know taste great. 

Being it is my job to criticize, I usually do my best to sample at least one or two of the menu items I find to be the hardest to get right. Anybody can make a cream sauce taste good, but can you make your Bolognese taste like Nonna’s?  Cooking pasta al dente is child’s play, but getting your gnocchi right is an art form. At Liberatore’s I asked the tough questions, and I have to admit they passed with flying colors. 

Every dish I sampled had something uniquely satisfying to it. Whether it was the perfect char on the bottom of my grilled polenta, or the delicate bite of the caper berries on my Tuscan antipasto board, it was very evident the chefs at Liberatore’s are serious about sticking to their roots. Also, at the bottom of the menu there sits a disclaimer: “Most of your old favorites are available upon request.”  While I have to say that is a dangerous game to play in the restaurant industry, I also have to applaud the confidence Liberatore’s shows in its kitchen.

So, I suppose this is where I’m supposed to make a sweeping declaration of my utmost respect and adoration for Liberatore’s, right? Well, in sticking with the theme of simplicity I’ll keep it short. Italian food is about getting great ingredients and just letting them do the work, and that is exactly what Liberatore’s does. Their service is great, their menu and wine list are concise and well thought out, their prices are reasonable, and most of all, their food is downright tasty.

 Don’t over think this one, just give it a try.