We’ve gone to Ciao Italia for many years, so we thought we’d try their sister restaurant, Vincenzo. It’s located in a more visible, tourist-accessible spot, and is in a newer space.
The interior is nicely designed, with an appealing bar, and good acoustic design in the dining room. Lighting levels are pleasant.
The menu is similar, offering classic Southern Italian cuisine. My Shrimp Diavalo appetizer was excellent, and its $20 price quite reasonable for a generous serving. My wife really enjoyed her Fettuccini Alfredo, which was made in the classic butter and parmesan style, rather than inundated in cream sauce.
The wine list is well-considered, and service was pleasant.
I really like the interior design of this new, airy restaurant in Flamingo Crossings. The staff is very welcoming, and the ambiance is great.
The menu offers a nice variety of upscale Italian fare. We started with the sauteed mussels and clams (which were okay, but could have used more garlic) and the tuna carpaccio, which had a marvelous lemon dressing on the accompanying arugula.
That same fantastic dressing showed up on the Salad Capri, one of the best salads I’ve ever had. The combination of the slightly sweet lemon dressing and the bitter greens was amazing, as were the other surprising ingredients: banana peppers, melon, candied walnuts, and olives.
We happened to go for lunch on a Wednesday, which is lasagna day, and the lasagna was very good. It seemed like something an Italian grandmother would make.
Because it’s in a tourist area, prices are not cheap, but I would definitely return for the amazing salad and excellent service.
The menu doesn’t adequately convey the complexity of the food here. We had an outstanding meal in this cozy Queen Anne restaurant. Simple dishes like sourdough bread come alive with spreads featuring fennel or roasted garlic and balsamic. The “bruschetta” is actually crostinia spread with smoked fish dip. And, most stunning of all, a pappardelle was infused with orange zest, mint, and chili oil. Truly the best pasta dish I’ve ever had.
Service by Martin was stellar. He was a great host, waiter, and informant about all of the dishes.
The bar is turning out great cocktails, while the wine list leans more toward austere whites and international reds.
While compact, the dining area is not overly noisy. Definitely exceeded our expectations.
Although the name sounds very Italian, the menu (which is extensive) is divided evenly between Italian and Peruvian foods. (They also serve American breakfast.)
I wasn’t sure the Peruvian food would measure up to other places in town, with all that Italian food competing for attention, but it was top-notch. We started with the fish ceviche, a generous portion of fresh fish with all the classical accompaniments. Next was a terrific shrimp causa, obviously assembled fresh to order. And we finished with the chicken chaufa. I suppose you could count this as a fourth cuisine, since it’s essentially Chinese fried rice!
Special shout-out to the house-made herbal crisps served with oil and balsamic at the start of the meal. They were great.
The food and service were both great, and the space is quite pleasant. Maybe we’ll go back tomorrow for Italian!
Great location next to the Brandenburg Gate. Light and airy inside. Nice menu of traditional pizza and pasta dishes, prepared with fresh ingredients. Friendly service.
mama trattoria Theodor-Heuss-Platz 2 14052 Berlin Germany
This is one of the very first Olive Gardens because Orlando is Darden's test market for new restaurant concepts. They definitely kept it fresh, with lovely remodeling. The bar is well-separated from the restaurant, and the dining room is open, spacious, and airy, with lots of windows.
The food is Olive Garden standard, so not much more needs to be said.
Service is good. The Darden restaurants have recently gone to table top devices for ordering and paying, no doubt to deal with staffing challenges. I'm not sold on the efficiency, but time will tell.
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant – Temp. CLOSED 12361 State Road 535 Orlando, FL 32836
This is one of the very first Olive Gardens because Orlando is Darden's test market for new restaurant concepts. They definitely kept it fresh, with lovely remodeling. The bar is well-separated from the restaurant, and the dining room is open, spacious, and airy, with lots of windows.
The food is Olive Garden standard, so not much more needs to be said.
Service is good. The Darden restaurants have recently gone to table top devices for ordering and paying, no doubt to deal with staffing challenges. I'm not sold on the efficiency, but time will tell.
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant 12361 State Road 535 Orlando, FL 32836
InteriorExterior and patioAntipastoCaesar saladRustica
*** (3 stars)
Friendly service and a nice patio dining area are the highlights of this place in the midst of the Colorado Springs tourist area.
The food was just okay, with a very pedestrian Antipasto Misto and somewhat odd Caesar Salad that involved diced meat and toasted bits of flatbread.
The namesake Pizza Rustica was also just okay. The thin, authentic crust was good, but the ricotta was only in one small section, and the pizza overall had very little flavor. We overhead a nearby table chatting with the owner, and they gave exactly the same assessment.
Wine prices are reasonable.
Pizzeria Rustica 2527 W Colorado Ave Colorado Springs, CO 80904
ExteriorInteriorGnocchi with spinach, mushrooms and truffle oil. Yum!
***** (5 stars)
We attended the Epicurious progressive dinner that started here with two courses: speck wrapped figs stuffed with gorgonzola, and gnocchi verde. The gnocchi was the group's favorite from the entire progressive dinner, because of the delicate wrappers and rich truffle-flavored mushrooms.
I definitely want to return to LaLuce for the full dinner after this amazing taste of what they offer!
The room is a bit austere, but not too noisy, and the service was wonderful.
La Luce 14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Ln Orlando, FL 32821
InteriorMenu wineLunch menu and beveragesPiesanos rollsMenuInteriorExteriorHot antipasto samplerPersonal pizzaShrimp and mussels far diavoloInteriorMini chocolate cannelloni
***** (5 stars)
Finally there's a good restaurant in this spot! Third try at Italian, plus Cajun and sports bar, too. The secret was to get rid of the huge ugly bar that dominated the middle of the room.
The bar is now in a cozy back corner, and the dining area has been divided up into smaller spaces.
The extensive menu includes both classic Italian dishes and a full range of pizzas, plus a limited wine and cocktail list.
We were comped an order of Piesano rolls, which are fresh baked with garlic and parmesan. We agree with other commenters and some tables around us that it's weird that there is Italian dressing poured over the rolls. Maybe serve it on the side?
The hot antipasto appetizer sampler included fried mozzarella, ravioli, calamari, and peppers. All we good, and not greasy.
Ceasar salads were excellent.
The pepperoni pizza had nice crisp crust from the wood oven, and very flavorful pepperoni.
Shrimp and mussels fra diavolo was okay. The seafood was good, but the sauce was not as flavorful as other versions I've had, and was not spicy at all, although the shaker of dried peppers on the table helped.
Mini chocolate covered cannolis were a nice, reasonable sized dessert.
Service was good. There were a LOT of servers here mid-afternoon of their first Saturday after opening, and things were running smoothly. A few details like meal pacing still need to be worked out. but everyone is obviously very engaged, and working hard to make this, the space's sixth go round, a success.
