IF YOU CATCH a glimpse of Emilio Cento leaning against the bar at Apicio, his rollicking new spot in Zionsville, you’ll likely notice a distinct aura of calm. That’s because the longtime Italian chef and onetime partner at three northside Convivio locations and Caffè Buondí, famous for its frittatas, panini, and pistachio cappuccinos, now has just one venture in his portfolio, one kitchen to keep in smooth running order. “When you have several restaurants, you lose some intimacy with the customers,” he says a bit wistfully, “and you’re doing less of the cooking.”
In mid-2024, Cento sold his share of the Mediterranean empire he built with
partner Andrea Melani, with plans for opening Apicio later that year. But delays in the buildout, overseen by design firm Phanomen—also responsible for Bottleworks District knockouts Modita and The Fountain Room—kept Cento’s crew from rolling its first batch of scratch-made pasta with imported semolina until last December.
Anyone trying to book a weekend reservation knows the delay only built demand, both from Cento’s fans and newcomers to his approach to authentic Italian cuisine.
With its warm fabrics, muted palette, and vintage industrial lighting, Apicio is as modern and convivial a scene as Cento’s previous enterprises. But the new spot throws more emphasis on its wine and spirits program, with a row of curved banquettes facing the bar so diners can feel a part of the action and a carefully cultivated wine list and bottle preservation system that ensures diners sampling a pricier vintage get a fresh pour. Cento handpicked veterans from Convivio alongside new hires to provide top-notch service to clientele who have come to expect it.
Apicio’s menu pays homage to the ancient Roman epicure Marcus Apicius, which might signal a purer take on Italian cuisine. But don’t look for seafood fricassee, boiled must, or the briny sauces popular in Apicius’ Rome. Just as at Convivio, Cento takes a refined and elevated approach to the family recipes he helped make as a teenager at Napoli Villa, the Beech Grove standard his family has operated for over six decades.
Dishes with solid roots in Cento’s past include the Gabriele, a hearty bowl of rigatoni flecked with pancetta, peas, marinara, and fresh basil, named for Gabriel Varolli, who taught the dish to the young Cento when Varolli was working at his father’s restaurant Tuscany in Broad Ripple. It’s as comforting now as it surely was then. Meaty, sweet jumbo shrimp with a restrained stuffing of crab and plenty of butter and parmesan over bracingly bright lemon risotto is another nod to Cento’s early days—and a must-order for seafood fans. The typically homey braciole, a dish Cento ate on trips to Italy growing up, takes on luxe treatment with filet rolled with prosciutto, provolone, and aromatics. But it gets lost in a flood of sauce, though rounds of beautifully browned roasted potatoes and lightly grilled asparagus are respectable accompaniments.
Photo by Tony Valainis
Among starters, crostini with a lavish mound of burrata and a tangy, slightly smoky sauce of roasted grape tomatoes is a good bet, as is the Spiritosa salad with a vibrant toss of earthy arugula, strawberries, and sweetened pecans with Gorgonzola and a welcome maple vinaigrette. Cento’s clever mixing of sweet and savory flavors shines in the Fichie Prosciutto pasta, a near dupe of a dish on the Convivio menu, with tender beet-dyed tagliatelle, figs, caramelized onions, prosciutto, and a generous amount of goat cheese, an improbable combination that’s addictive.
Other items on Cento’s somewhat restrained and pared-down opening menu are in want of some polish. A Caesar salad with romaine hearts arrives awash in dressing with shavings of pedestrian parmesan and lackluster croutons. Tiramisu comes drizzled with a chocolate sauce you might suspect you have at home in the fridge.
By contrast, a towering slice of thick-layered olive oil cake decorated with all the best parts of a cannoli, including pistachios, chocolate chips, and crunchy flakes of cannoli shells, is a celebration dessert you’ll gladly return for. So, too, are the cocktails, including an aromatic update of an old fashioned with Lazzaroni amaretto and Luxardo Amaro Abano.
Having been in restaurants for nearly 40 years, the still youthful-looking Cento could easily have rested on his laurels. But now that he’s almost caught his breath, he plans to add new regional pasta dishes, more emphasis on a secluded private dining room that seats up to 24, and a pergola-topped patio that will accommodate 50 guests in warmer months. And he’s happy to have his focus, at least for now, on a single place where his customers can see him, say hello, and know he’s calling the shots.
Apicio Ristorante & Enoteca
3311 S. U.S. Hwy. 421, Zionsville,
317-344-0100
Hours
Tue–Thu 5–9 p.m., Fri–Sat 4:30–10 p.m., Sun 4:30–8:30 p.m.
Vibe
Italian wine bar
Tasting Notes
House-made pasta from imported Italian semolina flour
Neighborhood
Zionsville
Must-Order
A lush starter of burrata with roasted grape tomatoes; the Spiritosa salad with strawberries, Gorgonzola, and candied pecans; savory-sweet beet-dyed tagliatelle tossed with figs, prosciutto, caramelized onions, and goat cheese; generous crab-filled shrimp with a refreshing lemon risotto; a celebration-worthy slice of olive oil cake dressed up like a cannoli
