Christiano's heralds return of Chef Chirum

Chef Chris Chirum has returned to South Walton County with the opening of Christiano’s Ristorante in Santa Rosa Village in September.

Chef Chirum began his career at Sandestin’s Elephant Walk in 1991, later working at Frangista’s and The Grille at Silver Shells before becoming a partner at The Wild Olive in Crestview.

The food

Each meal at Christiano’s begins with a basket of hot, fresh ciabatta bread served with a bowl of infused olive oil to enjoy while looking over the menu.

For an appetizer, we chose to share an order of calamari.

Lightly battered and fried, the tender rings were delicious. The marinara sauce added a nice acidity to the dish.

Other appetizers include seafood chowder, fried zucchini and bacon-wrapped jalapenos.

A house salad includes mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, carrots and red onions and your chose of the house or a ranch dressing.

The house dressing is a light, homemade oregano and lemon vinaigrette that is a wonderful compliment to the fresh, crispy greens.

Caesar and Greek salads are also available.

The entrée menu is divided into pasta and specialty entrée sections. There are also daily specials.

The pasta section includes traditional favorites such as manicotti, tortellini, ravioli, linguine and lasagna, all with a coastal influence that Chef Chirum is known for.

The specialty entrée menu offers seafood, chicken, veal, beef and lamb dishes.

By request of former patrons of Elephant Walk, Chef Chirum has added Grouper Elizabeth, the former signature dish of Elephant Walk to Christiano’s menu.

Grouper Elizabeth consists of sautéed Gulf grouper topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, toasted almonds and a white wine butter sauce. This delicious seafood choice is served with rice and green beans.

Another seafood dish is the Mahi Italiano, which is served with a brown butter sauce.

The Chicken Parmesan Milanese is topped with homemade marinara sauce and served over linguine.

The beef dishes include veal Marsala and a filet mignon bordelaise.

Christiano’s rack of lamb consists of roasted Australian rack of lamb with a rosemary brown sauce.

The evening of our visit, the specials of the evening were fresh New England mussels, a lamb chop and, our choice, peppercorn encrusted beef medallions served au poivre with a red wine reduction.

The pungent flavor of the peppercorns complimented the rich taste of the beef and the wine reduction provided a nice balance to the dish. Mashed potatoes and green beans rounded out the plate.

If you love chocolate, you must try Christiano’s Triple Chocolate Cheesecake.

Bittersweet, white and milk chocolate are layered in a chocolate cookie crust and topped with berries and whipped cream.

With a cup of their excellent coffee, this dessert is a perfect finish to a wonderful meal.

Other desserts include tiramisu, red velvet cake, Key lime pie, spumoni and cannoli.

The atmosphere

The tables are generously spaced and the partitioning of the space into separate dining rooms gives the restaurant a warm, intimate feeling.

Thinking that Christiano’s would make a wonderful venue for a Valentine’s Day meal, I asked our server and was told that although the restaurant is not normally open on Sunday, it would be for Valentine’s Day with the regular menu available.

The service

Our server was attentive without being intrusive and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.

Chef Chirum enjoys visiting the dining room when time constraints allow him to do so.

A final taste

Welcome back to South Walton County Chef Chirum. We’re very pleased to have you back.

Christiano’s

Location

4942 US Highway 98 West

Santa Rosa Beach

267-2185

Hours

Monday–Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.

Reservations

Not necessary

Handicap accessibility

Good

Children’s menu

Yes

Price range

Appetizers $6.95-$9.95

Salads $2.95-$5.95

Entrees $12.95-$28

Dessert $3.95-$6.95

Payment

Credit cards accepted