**** (4 stars)
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
**** (4 stars)
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
https://www.yelp.com/biz/olive-garden-italian-restaurant-orlando-24
**** (4 stars)
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
https://www.yelp.com/biz/olive-garden-italian-restaurant-orlando-24
*** (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
***** (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
***** (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.
Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza
7782 Winter Garden Vineland Rd
Windermere, FL 34786
https://www.yelp.com/biz/piesanos-stone-fired-pizza-windermere-2
**** (4 stars)
This Brio location offers a nice “outside” patio that overlooks the mall’s indoor fountain. Service is attentive, and the menu is standard Brio.Brio Tuscan Grille
4200 Conroy Rd
Orlando, FL
32839
(407) 351-8909
https://www.yelp.com/biz/brio-tuscan-grille-orlando
***** (5 stars)
Really excellent restaurant with traditional Italian dishes and some modern dishes too (Chilean Sea Bass with miso glaze).
Your meal begins with complimentary bruschetta and is accompanied by focaccia bread and garlic rolls.
Caesar salad is absolutely traditional.
The lobster fra diavolo was the best I’ve had, served in a unique presentation, with a whole lobster, split and out of the shell, on one side of the plate, and the pasta and assorted shellfish on the other side. Really excellent.
The extensive winelist has some real depth, especially on the Italian offerings, which are reasonably priced.
Service was really top notch.
Tuscany il Ristorante
968 S Westlake BlvdSte 4
Westlake Village, CA
91361
(805) 495-2768
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tuscany-il-ristorante-westlake-village-2
Calzone
Interior
Exterior
***** (5 stars)
A lot of pizza restaurants think they know how to make calzones, but they basically just fold their pizzas in half. Not at Papa D! This is a real calzone, with a light, crisp, paper-thin crust filled with the best ingredients. I had pepperoni, red peppers, and ricotta, in addition to the standard mozzarella. It’s served with a bowl of fresh marinara. It was easily the best calzone I’ve had anywhere.
Papa D Pizza
5106 Dr Phillips Blvd
Orlando, FL
32819
(407) 299-0033
https://www.yelp.com/biz/papa-d-pizza-orlando
Interior
**** (4 stars)
This hidden away gem of an Italian restaurant serves excellent food, and has some of the best wine prices you’ll find in Central Florida. The wine offerings are top notch, with a lot of hard to find labels, and an emphasis on top-rated reds. The owner obviously has a passion for it.
During a special event we were seated in the wine shop, and it was actually nicer than the main dining room. Plus, there was an excellent jazz saxophonist.
Highly recommended.
Corellis Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
1042-1044 E Hwy 50
Clermont, FL
34711
(352) 989-5924
https://www.yelp.com/biz/corellis-italian-restaurant-and-pizzeria-clermont-2