Mida Fenway
The pasta is made by hand and the dishes are served with heart.
“Italian cooking has a warmth to it. It has an inherent built in generosity note to it. Because we're not just feeding, we're nourishing them. Obviously, feeding people is my passion. I just love to know that…no matter how you walked in, no matter where you came from that you're walking out with just an exuberance and a lightness.”
And you too will feel the love put into each dish at Mida.
With a location in Newton and three in Boston, including this latest one in the Fenway, Mida is the brainchild of Douglass Williams and Seth Gerber; two owners who bring passion to both the front and back of house.
“Mida is just a good time. We're not trying to be a restaurant that is necessarily reinventing Italian cuisine. We want to take the best of what we think Italy offers, make it with the best ingredients, and present it with amazing hospitality.”
Set on busy Boylston Street, Mida offers both a lively bar area with Italian inspired craft cocktails and a warm, welcoming dining room for something more intimate.
“Mida should feel a bit like your home. It should be warm. It should be inviting. The energy generosity. It should feel really like you're coming into a friend's home.”
And since the Italian term ‘Mida’ literally means ‘to give’, Seth and Douglas want to give every customer an experience that is both mouthwatering and memorable.
“We think that just really good food made with amazing ingredients, made from scratch and made for people that are looking for something that's going to delight them and surprise them, but also just satiate them and make them happy. We want to connect with memories.”
Since it’s all made in house, pasta at Mida should be a priority.
“We not only make it fresh, but then we cure it for a day, so it has time to tighten up. And there's all these steps and nuances that we apply. Those are our pieces of love that we add. And I think no matter where you are in the world, you can taste love in food. So I hope people can taste it.”
There’s a unique take on Bolognese with broccoli rabe for a deliciously balanced sauce. And Mida’s amped up version of Spaghetti and Meatballs.
“I add a little ricotta to my meatball, and that softens it up a bitand it just feels so nice and squishy, but also meaty. All we do is toss in a little bit of basil at the very end. Put the beautiful meatballs right on top. A little bit of Pecorino, and we are out of here.”
And then there’s Mida’s take on Carbonara topped with fresh rock shrimp.
“The rock shrimp gives it this seafaring feels. Very Boston. Feels very New England. It gives different textures. You're getting that al dente pasta with the creaminess from the egg yolk and the pecorino and the and the chives and then you get that tight bite from the rock shrimp that is just super lovely. You gotta come in and try it.”
But before you get to the pasta, an app is in order. Like the North Shore Fritto Misto- an homage to local institutions like Woodman’s with calamari, clam strips and fried cherry peppers, served with a tomato aioli. There are New Haven style pizzas like this one loaded up with short rib, bacon, pepperoni and italian sausage. And golden fried arancini sprinkled with fontina cheese.
“When you get that at your table, you just break it apart. You see that ooey gooey cheese come apart. You dip it in the sauce or not, either way, it is just unbelievable.“
But for a symphony of both taste and texture, order the MapleBrook Burrata topped with golden raisins, pistachio pesto, and mint served with crostini.
“You take the burrata, you spread it on the crispy toast. There's plump raisins. There's pistachio pesto. You just spread that on…And the crunch is not just a hard crostini, it's that chewy, but also crispy crostini with that lactic burrata and the sweet raisins. And
yYou just melt back into your banquette, and you just like, I need another bite. That dish is one of those ones.”
Of course, Mida offers entrees like this Roasted Chicken served with an al dente mushroom risotto and Italian classics like Short Rib Lasagna featuring a pile up of housemade pasta sheets with tender braised meat or the equally stunning AND delicious eggplant parm.
“We fry the eggplant then we layer it with basil and tomato sauce and mozzarella and all these lovely herbs and we cut it in these beautiful little bricks of eggplant parmesan. You see all these layers of the eggplant, almost like an eggplant mosaic. And then you cut through it, almost like you're cutting into a piece of white cake and it's tomatoey. It's hot, steaming off the plate and it is just unreal.”
Just as unreal is Mida’s take on Tiramisu. This tasty twist on an Italian staple includes a circular shaped lady finger, branded with a cocoa powder ‘M’ laid over a rich mascarpone mousse and cocoa nibs. And the whole thing is topped table side with freshly brewed espresso.
“You get this warm contrast with the crispies from the bottom and the smooth, delicious light mascarpone mousse and you get all three textures in one spoon, and it is both warming and refreshing at the same time.”
And after it all, you’ll leave feeling full of both the food and the love you get when you dine at Mida.
