Wheaton's Gia Mia Pizza Bar coaxes big flavor from small plates

Tapas-style eating is an ingrained aspect of Spanish dining, but the small-plates approach works for other cuisines as well.

The latest to go down that path is Gia Mia, an Italian restaurant that opened in April in downtown Wheaton. Its menu includes a number of shareable items, including wood-fired pizzas that are a well-deserved hit with diners.

Gia Mia is named after Gianna, the daughter of chef-owner Brian Goewey, who also is co-owner of the popular fire + wine restaurant in Glen Ellyn. The Wheaton spot's creative, well-thought-out menu includes multiple shareable dishes, unique salads and a handful of pasta entrees.

Gia Mia is housed in an airy, blond-wood storefront space with seating at bar stools, tables and long wooden banquettes. Hanging light bulbs create a flattering atmosphere to this family-friendly establishment.

Because this venue tends to draw heavy traffic, especially on weekends, reservations are a good idea. And during peak periods, the ensuing cacophony can easily overcome one's best efforts to carry on a conversation without shouting.

The food, however, makes Gia Mia well worth the effort.

One not-to-be-missed small plate offering is the tempura-like zucchini fritters. Strips of the vegetable are lightly breaded and quickly deep fried, then plated with a charred lemon and a creamy chive-accented Parmesan dipping sauce.

Among other dishes are veal meatballs al forno, baked with ricotta and served with roasted tomato sauce; charbroiled oysters with pork belly; and a mozzarella flight featuring three different types.

Nearby diners the night of our visit enjoyed the roasted cauliflower brushed with olive oil and a sprinkling of pine nuts and accompanied by green and kalamata olives.

Watermelon feta salad proved a perfect summertime course. Chunks of the sweet, ripe melon were dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette and the salad was composed with grape tomatoes, feta, cucumber and arugula.

Tuscan kale, beet-farro and quinoa with summer squash, tomatoes and asparagus were among the other salad choices.

Gia Mia's big drawing card — one that justifiably has garnered customer adulation — is the Neopolitan-style pizza turned out by a wood-fired brick oven that can reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fourteen different 10-inch-round thin-crust pizzas are available, from the traditional margherita and quattro formaggio to artichoke-pesto and clam-and-bacon. I strongly recommend sharing the prosciutto pie, a flavorful and satisfying creation prepared with thin slices of imported prosciutto from northeastern Italy. The pie, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, is studded with house-made mozzarella, basil, lemon and arugula. The texture and taste were just right.

A children's menu included such items as pasta and pesto, cheese ravioli, sausage calzone and child-size pepperoni pizza.

The dessert list offered tempting ricotta fritters, tiramisu, Nutella pizza and gelato. But we opted for a less familiar candidate: cooked cream. This tasty treat translated into a light vanilla bean panna cotta-like custard topped with a scoop of blueberry sorbetto and fresh berry garnish.

The 120-seat Gia Mia has a well-stocked full-service bar that includes a broad international selection of reasonably priced wines with an emphasis on southern Italian reds and whites. A glass of Nero d' Avola, a warm red produced in Italy, went well with our pizza.

Among the craft beers available were two from Chicago-based microbreweries: Scurry, a dark honey ale from Off Color Brewing, and Flywheel Bright Lager, a pilsner-like brew from Metropolitan Brewery.

• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.

Gia Mia Pizza Bar

106 N. Hale St., Wheaton, (630) 480-2480, <a href="http://www.giamiapizzabar.com">giamiapizzabar.com</a>

<b>Cuisine:</b> Italian; small plates and wood-burning pizza oven

<b>Setting:</b> Contemporary

<b>Prices:</b> Shareable dishes $7 to $15

<b>Hours:</b> 4 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays