Exceptional ingredients beautifully crafted into amazing dishes is what San Morello is all about. The restaurant was started in late 2018, and features dishes from southern Italy.
"San Morello is a city in Calabria, which is southern Italy, which is what the restaurant is kind of loosely based on," explained the Chef Della Cucina, Cory Barberio.
While most people might think of red sauce and red and white checkered tablecloths when they think of Italian food, that is not San Morello's style.
"We enjoy those bold flavors of the citrus and the chili, and the fresh seafood and the wood-fired grill, and the simplicity of putting really good olive oil and really good tomatoes on a plate," said Barberio.
That high quality, ingredient-focused mentality is not unlike Shinola's, the popular high-end Detroit watchmaker. Considering San Morello is located inside the Shinola Hotel, it seems their similar outlooks make a good match.
The design of the restaurant showcases their general principle of beautiful simplicity with a lot of raw woods, leathers, and marble on display. Fine craftsmanship is shown in the intricate hand-painted tiles that surround the room and their open kitchen.
As Barberio put it, "Similar attentions to detail, and really beautiful products, beautiful simplicity. You get great service, beautiful plateware, the whole experience kind of plays with the same kind of hospitality."
They make most of their ingredients in-house, including several kinds of pasta. Chef Carmellini's "My Grandmother's Ravioli" is a popular dish that is made entirely in-house featuring buttery hand-cut ravioli stuffed with beef short rib, veal, and pork belly. According to Barberio, they do like to feature exceptional items they find including several condiments and prosciutto.
San Morello is located at 1400 Woodward Avenue in Detroit.