Best Bites: Gozo’s Artichoke Risotto

Risotto is something I rarely order in a restaurant, and here’s why: The time-consuming dish is nearly impossible to get right in a short amount of time. Rendering Arborio or Carnaroli rice into a creamy porridge can’t be done on the fly. Restaurants do it, of course, but the results are usually underdone (crunchy) or overdone (no texture). Make the dish at home and you’ll understand the magic that comes from slowly incorporating broth into rice and stirring for upwards of an hour.

But, on the evening I visited Gozo, a two-and-a-half month-old restaurant on South Broadway, I succumbed to the risotto. This was due in part because the hostess, the server, and the busser all gushed about the spring dish. Friends and I were sharing multiple plates and we figured, if poorly executed, we were only in for a bite or two.

Instead, the entrée unleashed a battle of forks as we each scrambled for yet another bite. True to the staff’s praise, the risotto was perfectly constructed: full-bodied, rich, and al dente. Accompanied by wood-fired artichokes, a round of decadent burrata drizzled with grassy olive oil, and crunchy artichoke chips, it was the dish of the night.

30 S. Broadway, 720-638-1462

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