Toscano brings "un-authentic" Italian food to Revelry Brewing

After about a year without a food truck, the folks at Revelry Brewing decided to build out the downtown brewery’s kitchen space and bring in a local chef. Michael Toscano said when Revelry reached out, he was “pumped” to join forces and create da Toscano Fugazzi, now open daily.

The owner of downtown’s Le Farfalle and da Toscano Porchetta Shop, Toscano was originally going to stick with the model of serving his popular Porchetta Shop sandwiches at Revelry, but ultimately decided to create a menu that was more specific to the brewery. Toscano said that the name of the concept, da Toscano Fugazzi, is a nod both to pop culture (please see Wolf of Wall Street and Donnie Brasco) and the “un-authentic Italian” food on the menu. (Fugazzi is an Italian slang word for fake.)

“It’s all your favorites that you’d have at any American casual bar or sports bar, and then we apply our quality ingredients and Italian recipes,” Toscano said. “Everything’s going to look familiar.”

When it comes to Italian-inspired brewery fare, think porcini rubbed prime rib cheesesteaks and porchetta cubanos. “I love this kind of food so much, so this is really fun for me,” Toscano said.

The menu is fairly extensive with 16 items, from mozzarella sticks to salads to fried shrimp to wings and ribs. Toscano said the wings are some of his favorite to snack on, and the guests can add a variety of sauces on their wings, tenders and ribs, from calabrian chili buffalo to porcini dry rub.

“There are plenty of options,” Tosano said. “People want to stay and hang [at breweries]. Now we can provide that.”

Good food at good spots

Revelry joins a growing number of breweries who offer in-house food, expanding on a brewery’s typical food truck schedule. While food trucks are an excellent way to try new fare, there’s something to be said for the stability of an in-house kitchen.

Ordering is easy, too, with QR codes located on every table. Toscano foresees a busy lunch crowd: “It’s great for lunch, even if you’re not drinking.” He noted that Revelry’s assortment of nonalcoholic beverages pair great with lunch at da Toscano Fugazzi. The kitchen will be open seven days a week from noon until 10 or 11 p.m. depending on the day.

With two other Charleston-based restaurants and a fine dining restaurant, da Toscano, in New York City, Toscano is a busy man. “We don’t really know any other way,” he joked, when asked how he and his team are handling the new business. He said that it’s important to him to continue to open new concepts and locations so that his growing staff can grow with the company. “[It gives them] a place to move up in whatever position they’re in,” he said.

As for Toscano? Well, he just really likes what he does. “I love cooking. I love eating,” he said. “It’s what makes me happy.”