Fay’s Restaurant elevates Italian cuisine by marrying traditional recipes from Fabrizia, Italy with culinary schooling

Fay’s perfectly lit, amply spaced, friendly atmosphere.

My visit to Fay’s taught me a lesson: do NOT go only by what you hear. It’s part of the truth. I never stopped in at Fay’s because all I heard was “Pizza, pizza, pizza.” I guess, I am a stubborn mule. Over the years people told me about Fay’s pizza. So many people in fact, that I didn’t doubt that their pizza was great at all – I was convinced without ever even having sampled it, I just suffered from pizza fatigue; everyone is doing pizza.

Funny thing is that you would think I would have learned my lesson – I’ve mentioned making assumptions about places before. While I am out and about, people will tell me “Do a spotlight on such and such a place, please!”

The list is a long one, and how I determine which one to do next is to choose the place that people are clubbing me over the head with; if I am told by three, four, eight different people, I know I need to prioritize that place.

This was exactly the case with Fay’s. “When are you going to do Fay’s?” folks would say. I would invariably reply with “Isn’t that the pizza place?” After much scoffing, I realized that it wasn’t a “pizza place.” Or rather, it was a pizza place and then some. As most people know, Fay’s made its name – placed itself on the gourmet map – with their Knotty Pine in the north end. Food – especially pizza – done so well, that it has grown to mythical status.

Humble beginnings; Fay’s Knotty Pine
Why was their food so good? How have they lasted for decades? Using generations old, traditional recipes brought by Fay Costa DiPiro from Fabrizia, Italy, doesn’t hurt. I’ve heard through the grapevine that Italians know a thing or two about pizza and pasta. Fay grew up making pasta, pizza and even sausages from scratch.

When she arrived in the 1930s, she and her husband Alexander, cooked at a number of spots locally and distant: Haskell’s Place (now Freestone’s Restaurant), the prestigious Thousands Islands in New York, various resorts throughout Vermont, Lucas’ Diner and Smith’s Restaurant in New Bedford, Nap’s at the Fairhaven Bridge.and even at restaurants in the Italian enclave of Naples, Florida.

In 1959, Fay and her brother Mike put in a stint at Mattapoisett’s “The Nest,” before showcasing their talents at Tony Lopes’ “The Knotty Pine” in 1961. Two years later they bought the restaurant from Mr. Lopes and it began to be known colloquially as “Fay’s Knotty Pine.”

Eventually Mike would move on and open a little place you may have heard of called Mike’s Restaurant in Fairhaven. Daughter Evelyn and other family members would open up The Nephew’s. Eventually Fay’s would be run by no fewer than 8 family members.

Point? Decades of experience cooking and serving people have culminated in a restaurant that produces exemplar food. Every person in the family has had restaurant success – it’s no accident. It all started with those old recipes and Italian cultural tradition!

In 1983 Fay retired and handed the business to daughter Evelyn, but the staff is still decorated with family members in a truly family-owned and operated business. In 1998, they needed to expand, so relocated to the current spot in Dartmouth on Dartmouth Street. That’s where I found myself one Thursday evening.

Location, atmosphere, welcome
When I arrived at Fay’s, I pulled into the parking lot. I’m sure people pointed and laughed at the noob thinking he was going to get a parking space. When I pulled in, my first thought was “Looks busy.” Boy was that an understatement. I pulled out of the parking lot and drive down the road – problem was that all the available spots down the road were taken. One block, two blocks, 3 blocks away. Turn around, pick a different street….same thing.

Jumping Jehoshaphat. Something big is going on here. Good thing for Fay’s that there are a LOT of streets to park on if you can’t find a home in their parking lot. I found a spot about 100 feet away and met my brother and friend Craig at the entrance.

Heading into Fay’s was my third confirmation that this was more than a pizza place – it was a proper restaurant. Perfectly lit dining rooms with old black and white photos lending a nostalgic feel. Music from the popular and immensely talented Dori Legge was piping in from the barroom adding even more life to the vibrant atmosphere.

After being warmly greeted by the hostess, we were immediately seated by an equally friendly waitress. A great vibe so far and precursor to the evening ahead. The full drink menu ranged from wines and beer to cocktails and of course, non-alcoholic beverages. The two dozen draft and bottled beers start at $3.50. The red, white and sparkling wines start at a very affordable $5 per glass. The cocktail menu featured a variety of Margaritas, sangrias, daiquiris, cosmos and the interesting sounding Nantucket Mule (Tito’s Cranberry Infused Vodka, Fresh Lime Juice & Gosling Ginger Beer), Grown-Up Shake (Kahlua, Bailey’s, Absolut Vanilla Vodka, White Crème De’Cocao & Whipped Cream, shaken and served on the rocks.) Craig is a beer man, Mike and I are winos…er…oenophiles.

Appetizers
Food. Let the madness begin. We each ordered our own appetizer and a fourth for good measure. All three of us are seafood lovers. Well, we’re more than that. We are seafood stalkers. We will readily admit that we have a problem. The cure is to devour seafood and we came to do business.

The Portuguese Style Clams came out first and were the perfect start: sautéd butter clams with linguica, onions, sweet peppers and tomatoes in a mild spicy saffron broth. These are made everywhere and one of my favorite appetizers on the planet. A healthy portion of fresh clams in a perfectly seasoned broth of natural juices. Bravo.

Next was something I had never seen before: Pan Seared Lobster Cakes – Lobster, peppers, onions, and bread crumbs, pan seared, served with Caper Remoulade and mixed greens. These moderate proportioned cakes had generous amounts of lobster chunks in them. You could see the glorious white meat poking through the cakes. We could tell this was going to be good. It was nothing short of amazing. Sorry Crab Cakes. Move over, you’ve been fired.

We had to try one of the specials: Lobster Stuffed Mushroom Caps: a half dozen, juicy mushroom caps stuffed with a homemade Portuguese style stuffing, drizzled with a delightful mayo-based sauce and served with a bed of greens, shredded carrots and a lemon wedge. Oh, man. These reminded me of childhood – my mom made these on a regular basis growing up and they always made me feel like I was being rewarded for some unknown good I did. Same thing here. What did I do to deserve the love? These were fantastic and I could come, order 3 of these appetizers and some white wine and make it a meal and be HAPPY.

Our Tuna Cucumber Snapps were the perfect palate cleansing appetizer to prepare us for our entrees – Sesame seed crusted Ahi Tuna with tomato, scallions, pickled ginger on sliced European cucumber with sweet chili soy sauce. The crunch and snap of the cucumber and the delicate softness of the tuna was a nice contrast.

I was relieved and delighted that these dishes were not salted to death. As those of you who have read these reviews before know: in my opinion, overly salting food is an attempt to either disguise poor ingredients or a lack of ability by the chef. It’s also disrespectful to the ingredients and the consumer. We should have a choice of how much salt we can add to our dish and while we can always add more, we can’t take it out. These three appetizers came out fast, contained fresh ingredients, were intelligently concocted and were perfectly salted. We were off to a stellar start.

Entrees
Mike ordered the Petite Filet Mignon: Open fire grilled Angus Filet Mignon with pesto pureed potatoes, Chef’s vegetables, roasted garlic demi-glace and crispy onion. Mike stabbed me in the hand with his fork, when I went to try it. Well, he didn’t really, but the look in his eyes told me that a second sampling wouldn’t be without repercussions.

I can say a lot of great things about this dish – juicy, tender, the right amount of char, aromatic pesto potatoes that were clearly just made, not spooned out of a tub and heated – but this says more than any adjectives or descriptors can: we used a butter-knife to cut the meat. It was that tender. Amazing. Sublime. Divine.

Now – onward to trying the pizza that mad Fay’s famous. The legendary pizza that everyone talks about. I am a veteran of dealing with hype. I retain my healthy skepticism, yet I also don’t overcompensate by joining the “eager-to hate-anything-popular” crowd. I go into these food experiences by being an objective “juror.” Ignoring what I’ve heard and keeping an open mind.

We ordered the Portuguese Feast: House made cacoila, white cheddar cheese, linguica and banana peppers. Oh, man was it good. The crust was perfect – when you picked up a slice it stayed almost horizontal. There was no “slippage” – the dumping of the cheese and toppings onto your plate leaving you holding a soggy piece of sauce and dough. Usually one had to do the fold to prevent this. This is a non-folding pizza dough. The sauce was perfectly proportioned like you would encounter in Italy or Italian households. Sauce is supposed to compliment, not become a swimming pool for food to dive into. Here the sauce was the right amount – allowing you to enjoy not only the sauce, but the toppings and the dough. The pizza lived up to it’s hype.

We finished out the evening with a decadent Chocolate Pots de Crème: A rich chocolate mousse served with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce. Dessert is rarely a thing I do, but this work of art needed to be sampled. It wasn’t only beautiful in appearance, but the fresh berries, mousse and whip cream all kicked out an aroma too powerful to resist. We did something we rarely do: we ate the whole thing and left nothing.

The Fay’s Experience and Chef Victor Vieira
This was a stellar overall experience. The Fay’s family – whether genetic or extended – clearly has one objective: a positive experience for the customer. The food that comes to the table is of upscale quality, but astonishingly affordable. I get the idea that they would rather have you make a second home with repeat visits – they would rather your frequent company – than have you come only on special occasions. They want you to feel like any occasion is a special occasion. The attention to detail in terms of ambience, food, and service is simply exemplar.

One of those extended family members that is responsible for the quality that comes out of the kitchen is Executive Chef Victor Vieira. Victor has been in the restaurant industry since he was thirteen years old and likely worked in a restaurant that you frequented. On a quest to improve and expand his canvas, he honed his skills in Florida, Caribbean, Hamptons, N.Y., Pittsburgh and Mississippi before returning home where he worked in Boston and Plymouth.

He opened his own restaurant, Westport landmark Ellie’s Place, with his wife which for 7 ½ years. He then opened Fresca Grill in New Bedford, ran the Country Club of New Bedford for 4 ½ years until partnering with Fay’s Restaurant & Catering. Chef Victor’s love of food and creativity speaks for itself in his dishes. He loves to create specials using local fresh ingredients and tries to focus on local sustainable product for his dishes.

Marrying tradition with a modernity has created something pretty darn special. The packed house of happy smiles, positive reviews and our experience bear that out.

Summation
In addition to in-house dining and take-out, Fay’s brings all these values to their catering. You get the chef quality dishes at an affordable rate brought to any special event you may have. This is NOT a big tin foil tub of lasagna and pizza – take a look at the photos below and see that this is a restaurant that comes to you.

The regular menu includes a specialty sandwiches, a healthy section (grilled items, veggie burgers, etc.), a kid’s menu where most items are $5, and an insane Sunday brunch.

Fay’s averages live entertainment three nights a week with popular local acts. There are constantly rotating specials, so if you are thinking of visiting check their frequently updated Facebook page for that week’s specials. You’ll see things like Wine & Dine Thursday (3 course dinner for two – appetizers, entree & dessert, with a bottle of wine for $45), Steak Mania, Kids Eat FREE Wednesday, or FREE appetizer Mondays (4:00pm to close), $3.99 pizza day.

There are few places that can rival Fay’s for putting all the elements that they have put together: a perfect storm of high quality, food & service, entertainment, and atmosphere, yet keeping it affordable. They’ve kept one eye on the future to make sure they are improving, yet maintain a healthy respect for tradition. Fay’s family values and recipes got them started and to where they are today and they keep that at the forefront of what they are doing. It’s all about family, and extending it.

---

Fay’s Restaurant
613 Dartmouth Street
Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Phone: (508) 997-8000
Hours of Operation:
Monday–Wednesday: 11:30am–9:00pm
Thursday–Saturday: 11:30am–10:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am–8:00pm

Facebook: facebook.com/FaysRestaurant
Website: faysrestaurant.com/
Photos:: facebook.com/FaysRestaurant/photos_stream

---

---