Phantom Gourmet: Cucina D In Bedford

BEDFORD, Mass. - There's a new Italian restaurant in Bedford, where the food and the chef make quite an impression.

Damian DiCenso was practically born into the restaurant business.

"My dad had me working in restaurants when I was 12, 13 years old, when my Mum just couldn't take me around the house anymore. They hid me in the back a lot because I was loud and obnoxious, so I learned how to cook at an early age."

After decades of working in the kitchen at his family's restaurants, Damian has just opened a place of his own called Cucina D. Tucked away in an office park in in Bedford, Cucina D has quickly become a go to spot for big plates of hearty, heartwarming Italian cuisine and old school family recipes.

"I just think Italian food is the ultimate comfort food," said Damian. "I mean for me it brings me back to being over my Nonna's, eating meatballs, which is the same meatballs I serve here today. It's a long lasting family recipe. You know I probably eat my profits in the meatballs."

Made with a blend of pork and beef, and served with pomodoro sauce and a dollop of fresh ricotta, the meatballs are a must order. Forget about Phantom Approved -these things are Nonna Approved!

"I got the pinch on the cheek from my grandmother. Told me they were ok, so I know they passed the test."

A meal at Cucina D feels less like a restaurant, and more like you're dining in Damian's home. He seems to know just about everyone who walks in the door, whether he's stopping by their table or talking to them from inside the large open kitchen.

"It's nice. I can kind of talk to the customers right from the kitchen. A lot of people like to swing by at the end of their meal and tell us they liked it, and we're always happy to talk to everyone."

Now that he's an owner, Damian spends a lot less time in the kitchen and a lot more time doing just about everything else.

"I used to be an executive head chef, and now I'm a busboy, a host, a chef, a dishwasher, and whatever else they ask me to do."

Everything at Cucina D is made from scratch, like the tomato sauce that simmers for hours; the complementary breadsticks that start every meal; and appetizers like gooey Mozzarella en Carozza and golden fried Arancini.

"Arancini means a small orange. So to me that means you need to make them with saffron which gives it that orange color, and a distinct flavor," Damian explained. "We fill them with mozzarella cheese, meatballs, and fresh peas. They're crispy on the outside, creamy aborrio rice on the inside. We serve it with a little bit of pomodoro sauce. It's a really good dish."

Entrees at Cucina D take abondanza to the next level. The portions are big, affordable, and full of flavor. There's Risotto with prosciutto, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes; Penne al Forno with Meatballs, ricotta, and sausage, baked until crispy; enormous Chicken Parmesan draped with melted mozzarella; and an outrageous bowl of Frutti di Mare.

"Fresh calamari, Prince Edward Island Mussles, and shrimp in there. A touch of spice and herbs, pomodoro sauce, white wine, let it simmer slowly, and then it's served over linguine," described Damian.

You better be downright starving if you plan to finish the 18 ounce Pork Osso Buco. It's braised for more than three hours, before it's finished in the oven, and put on the plate.

"You put the pea and parmesan risotto in the dish when you're plating it, and then when the pork shank enters the plate it kind of tilts a little bit. Everytime you serve it to someone they're just like amazed by the size of it. And I tell people all the time, if they finish it I'll take a picture of them and put it on the wall. And there are no pictures on the wall as of yet," said Damian.

During lunch, Cucina D serves plenty of Panino and lots of sheet pan pizza, including Damian's amped up version of the standard pepperoni.

"I could have just given the people the pepperoni pizza, but everyone's doing that. I'm in love with creamy fresh ricotta cheese, so I throw that on there, and some people are like 'oh, I just wanted a pepperoni.' And I get them to try it and they're always happy that they got it."

Everyone is even happier at dessert, with cannoli stuffed with Sambuca spiked filling and Cheesecake packed inside a sweet and chewy Almond Cone.

"You can almost just pick it up off the plate and eat it like an ice cream cone if you wanted to," described Damian. "I mean people might think you're kind of an animal if you do that. That's what I do, but you can use a fork and knife."

No matter how you choose to eat, or what you choose to eat, you won't be disappointed. With appetizers costing about eight bucks, and every entree less than twenty, you're guaranteed a great meal at an unbelievable price.

"I want to give a good product. I want to show these people what I can do, prove myself. There's a lot of great restaurants in the area, but I want people to come here and see what I can do, and you know, be able to afford it. Everyone's welcome at Cucina D."

You can find Cucina D at 54 Middlesex Turnpike in Bedford, and online at cucinad.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.