Regent Street’s heyday as a center for Italian-American restaurants is now history in Madison. The last remaining OG “spaghetti house”, Josie’s (originally Jimmie), burned down in 2004; Fraboni’s Delicatessen underwent a remodel in 2018 (though it remains open at the Monona location). Currently, the Greenbush Bar serves a confined menu of mostly pizza.
So opening up Spaghetti House and Fabiola’s Delicatessen behind schedule last year, in the former Rocky Rococo on the corner of Regent and Orchard, it aroused balmy feelings. With the redevelopment of the Triangle and the creation of apartments reminiscent of early 20th century neighborhood homes, Regent Street appears poised for a historically intended, if not 100% precise, renaissance.
Spaghetti houses were famed for their enormous portions and low prices, and they served more than just spaghetti. The ancient Jimmie’s Spaghetti House menu also included steak, ham and fried chicken. Fabiola’s has a clear goal: seven pastas, six “classic”, three steaks, pork chop and two seafood dishes. (The midday deli menu does not match the dinner menu at the sit-down restaurant.)
It seems reasonable to assume that in a spaghetti home, you should start with spaghetti. Fabiola’s Spaghetti and Meatballs is a enormous plate containing two almost tennis ball-sized meatballs in a sizzling, tart San Marzano tomato marinade. The meatballs are gentle and pliable, made with veal, pork and Italian sausage; there is a hint of fennel. A closely related dish is rigatoni with Sunday sauce, with a trio of meats – bratole with beef compact rib and Fraboni Italian sausage in one meatball – served with a side of rigatoni “Nonna style.” The eggplant parmesan isn’t breaded and fried, but there’s a melty, flame-roasted version that brings out the subtle flavor of the eggplant, and there’s plenty of mozzarella.
The specialty of the house is chicken Vesuvio. The waiter talked me into ordering this dish and I was very joyful. The chicken breast is fried until the skin is incredibly crispy and served with potatoes and peas in a white wine garlic sauce. It’s like Sunday dinner at Grandma’s in the best way. Restrained roasted whitefish has a similar presentation.
A nice touch: All entrees come with sautéed market vegetables, usually carrots and green beans, and it’s not just a side dish statement; there’s plenty of both. The attractive carrots are sweet and border on crispy and well-done.
These appetizers are delicious, and Fabiola’s takes the “large portion” approach to the history of the spaghetti house seriously. Each plate appears to be twice the size of a lunch portion, and given that the appetizers are also tempting and you may want to end your meal with a cannoli, which I always do, the prospect of a brown box to go is almost inevitable. I would really like the option of reducing portion sizes, e.g. being able to order some dishes as compact or enormous. By the time a basket of bread and a genial lunch salad arrived on my table – a crisp and well-dressed romaine with black olives, celery, tomato and parsley (enormous enough to split between two people), I wasn’t very hungry. On another visit, skipping appetizers meant that glasses of wine were left at the table too long and there was nothing to chew.
One solution is to divide it into a compact plate. A bread basket (including super fresh Italian semolina bread and Origin focaccia) and an antipasto plate, plus drinks and a parting cannoli sound perfect.
Oh, and those cannolos. Homemade, their pliable, not too sweet filling (Wisconsin ricotta with orange peel) is generously sprinkled with pistachios on one side and dim chocolate on the other.
Fabiola looks like part of a spaghetti house with red checkered tablecloths and red banquets, and the dining room is cozy and welcoming. The bar, which runs along the inner wall and is separated from the dining room by a partial partition, is also a pleasant space where you can share a basket of bread and balmy marinated olives, and check out the intriguing Italian wine list.
The menu is helpful to indicate which dishes are vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, as well as those that can be prepared. Vegans have the least choice (salad and eggplant without cheese).
Fabiola’s opens for dinner at 5 p.m. and is usually full within about an hour. There are no reservations, but participants can add their name to the waiting list before arriving at exploretock.com/leopoldsandfabiolas.
Spaghetti House and Fabiola’s Delicatessen
1301 Saint Regent
608-256-0600; fabiolasmadison.com
Dinner 17:00-22:00 Wednesday-Monday. (deli menu 10:00-15:00)
$7-67
