Chianti Ristorante and Pizzeria.

By Scotty Ruth

While a fancy Italian restaurant in the middle of Gayton Crossing may be one of a kind, it is part of what makes the Chianti Ristorante and Pizzeria so amazing. Owners Frank and Marta Bussa, who opened Chianti in the spring of 2000, have really created something special. After having been there many times with my grandfather Bryce Jewett, I decided to go evaluate the restaurant and the food with my brother Bayler Ruth (‘25).

As it was a Sunday night, I did not know how crowded it would be, so I picked up the phone to call for a reservation. A woman picked up the phone with a friendly tone and said she would be glad to seat the two of us at 7:15 p.m. We put on some collared shirts and headed to Chianti at 1304 Gaskins Road. 

As soon as Bayler and I walked through the door, we were immediately seated and began perusing the menu. Our waitress took our drink orders; I got water and Bayler settled with Mr. Pibb after learning that they do not have Dr. Pepper. Along with our drinks, we ordered an appetizer of fried calamari. While the menu stated that the calamari was eleven dollars, the waitress quickly corrected that the menu was wrong and that it was actually four dollars more. We decided to get it anyway, as it is one of our favorite appetizers.  

Fried calamari.

The thing about calamari is that not all restaurants can prepare it correctly, cook it right, and make it taste like it should. I have been to plenty of restaurants where I would never order the calamari ever again. At Chianti, however, that is not the case. When our waitress brought out the dish, I knew right away that it was not going to disappoint. The perfectly fried pieces of squid, along with marinara sauce, were the ultimate appetizer.

After devouring our calamari and watching the intense Steelers-Ravens Sunday afternoon game on the TV at the bar, we had to call our waitress over for a quick question about the menu. On the menu, a pasta dish named linguine with shrimp sauce was confusing Bayler. He wondered whether or not the pasta came with shrimp or if there was actually a shrimp cocktail sauce on the pasta without shrimp. He asked the waitress, “What is the linguine with shrimp sauce?” The waitress responded, “Umm, it’s linguine with shrimp.” All Bayler could say was that he would try it. We both started laughing once she left. 

Since I was not that hungry, I ended up getting a personal 9-inch meat lovers pizza with pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, ground beef, ham, and sausage. 

As we waited for our food, we enjoyed some pleasant Christmas music and watched the end of the Seahawks-49ers game, as well as the Steelers-Ravens match-up. When the food came out, it looked incredible. 

Meat lovers personal pizza.

Linguine with shrimp sauce.

My meat lover’s pizza was the perfect size, squashing my concern about how small it would be, and the toppings on it were unbeatable. Bayler’s shrimp pasta ended up being a hit, and we both cleared our dishes without a problem. The six different types of meat on the pizza were not overwhelming and one did not overpower the others. Bayler’s shrimp pasta was very well prepared, and he had no complaints.

In the middle of our meal, our waitress out of nowhere brought us these breadsticks. Apparently, the restaurant serves complimentary garlic bread at the beginning of your sitting, but we had not received this bread. She informed us that they had been preparing the bread the whole time, and it had just finished cooking. Whether that was true or not, the bread was delicious, but I wish it had been served at the beginning of our meal. 

Garlic breadsticks. 

Our meal at Chianti was excellent, and the food was only part of what made it such a pleasant night. The atmosphere of the restaurant made it so I would want to come back, along with the amazing menu and dishes to choose from. I would highly recommend this local pizzeria, and I definitely plan on eating here more in the future. 

All photos by Scotty Ruth.