An oasis of great food in Sarasota, Florida.
My spring-break family road PEREGRINATION landed us in Sarasota, Florida. Contrary to popular opinion, fantastic food can be found in all cities…if you look hard enough. My Dad is a good-restaurant-magnet and he uncovered “Dolce Italia,” a family-owned Italian eatery. Tiziana and Pippo emigrated from Naples a few years ago and have been serving traditional Neapolitan dishes ever since. We sampled the antipasto, caprese salad, meat lasagna, spaghetti alla puttanesca, and a red fish that was served with a delicious tomato-based sauce and finished with a touch of cream.
Tiziana is truly an Italian spirit.
Seeing the restaurant from the outside proves that one should not judge a book by its cover. “Dolce Italia” is located in a DISMAL strip mall on a busy road, but once inside, the charming ambiance and delicious food transports you to Italy. The highlight of the meal was the spaghetti alla puttanesca, (puttanesca is a tomato sauce with capers and olives) which was a more TANGY version of what is traditionally prepared in America. The pasta dishes were perfectly al-dente. The service was excellent and the waiter/waitresses got out the food in a timely manner. The portion sizes were a little small, but didn’t diminish the dining experience.
Pasta puttanesca is a classic Neapolitan dish.
Road trips don’t have to be SYNONYMOUS with “Applebees” and “Olive Garden.” “Dolce Italia” proves the ADAGE, “seek and you shall find.”
Charis
- PEREGRINATION- trip
- DISMAL- dreary
- TANGY- zesty, acidic
- SYNONYMOUS- having same or similar meaning
- ADAGE- proverb