The Pounded Veal Chop Marsala was "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" at Rosario's Ristorante

With so many restaurants to choose from, it was tough deciding on which one to select to mark the special occasion of my husband obtaining his Master's degree. Given the fact that Rosario's Ristorante in Royal Palm Place had recently been featured on the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" show, I decided to check it out.

I called the restaurant to make a reservation and spoke to Chris Lanza, the son of Rosario, who himself is involved in the family owned and operated restaurant. Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly and escorted to our reserved table- a nice round table nestled intimately in the corner beside large windows. Our waiter, Pietro, approached our table within moments of our getting settled in our seats. He was extremely pleasant and made us all feel very welcomed.

I had done my research and found that Rosario's was running a summer special that consisted of a three-course complete dinner for $26.95. This included an appetizer, entree (with a side), dessert & coffee. Now, I'm not talking about choosing from a limited menu here. They had not 3, maybe 4 entrees to select from- but 15! This ran the gamut from Chicken, Veal, Pasta, Steak & Seafood. And speaking of Seafood, they also had another special, which I found out is available every night, and that is the 2 pound Live Maine Lobster (served Broiled, Oreganata or Fra Diavolo). This special is served with salad & dessert for $26.95 as well!

My husband & I both decided upon the Pounded Veal Chop Marsala which was amazing, absolutely fantastico! The veal was pounded super thin and breaded and topped with mozzarella cheese, mushrooms & marsala sauce. When it came to deciding on which side to choose, I was torn between the julienned vegetables and the roasted potatoes. To make my life easier, Pietro offered to bring me some of each, which I greatly appreciated. My dad, who is pretty predictable when it comes to what Italian dish he typically orders, didn't disappoint us when he ordered the Chicken Parmigiana. My mom opted for the Lobster Special and ordered it Fra Diavola, which came with lobster, mussels & clams served delicately on a bed of pasta, and seasoned with the perfect amount of spice. Although we really didn't have room for dessert, we did sucomb to trying the Italian Cheese Cake, Tiramisu, and Chocolate Mousse Cake. All three were terrific, but I especially enjoyed the Tiramisu.

Rosario's is famous for serving up family style dishes for 2, but individuals can order up half portions if they so desire. The menu items are derived from Northern & Southern Italy as well as some Sicilian items from where Rosario himself was born. All items on the menu are prepared fresh, in-house and are cooked to order. They have an extensive award-wining wine list and have a full bar with many drink selections available.

I also learned that Rosario's has a Private Dining Room that can seat up to 30 guests. So, if you are looking for a great place to bring the family for a special occasion, a business presentation or meeting, give the folks at Rosario's a call and reserve their private room.

Rosario's Ristorante is located at 145 S.E. Mizner Blvd., in Royal Palm Place 561-393-0758

You can check out their website to view their complete menu and specials at: http://www.rosariosristorante.com/

Until we eat again...
I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise

He had me at Oh-So (Good) Bucco

My hubby and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary last night and we decided to commemorate this special occasion by visiting one of our newest Boca Food Finds - Capri Ristorante.

This place exudes class. We sensed this the moment we entered the doors. A nice balance of woods, granite & slate with a beautiful bar, which my husband will tell you is a tell tale sign of a good restaurant.

We were greeted at the door by Joey "Capri", whose family owns 6 more restaurants by the same name in the Chicago area. The restaurant has a private area that can seat up to 50 people as well as the main dining section adorned with a beautiful piano. Joey cordially escorted us to a cozy booth in the main dining room where we were about to embark on the most delightful culinary experience.

Our waiter brought the bottle of wine we ordered with one of those fancy dancy decanter style contraptions affixed to the top of the bottle. (I'd seen that just a few nights earlier at the Fine Wine & Canines event over at Royal Palm Place). Kari, one of the owners of Capri, came over to say hello as our waiter was pouring our wine and she mentioned that she had also seen this "wine thing" being used at the Fine Wine event and was so impressed after tasting the difference, that she decided to purchase it for the restaurant.

As we were enjoying our wine, an antipasta plate, consisting primarily of a variety of olives, was brought to the table; followed by my pasta fagioli and a plate of sausage and peppers for my husband. (Of course we each tasted the other's selection). So far, so good. Everything was delish! Then, all of a sudden, Joey steps around the corner and delivers to our table an unexpected treat; He had prepared something himself especially for us - fried balls! (Hey now, get your mind out of the gutter) These balls were like little poppers; the first kind was a fresh breaded/fried mozarella ball and the other kind was fried green olives stuffed with Italian sausage. Both were amazing and I hear they are making their debut tonight on their regular menu. Speaking of the menu, I hadn't even begun to take a gander at it before our waiter announced their evening specials. Once he mentioned the Osso Bucco, I couldn't hear anything else. This was exactly what I was hoping for and let me tell you, Capri delivered. This was THE BEST Osso Bucco I have ever had. It's new name is "Oh So (Good) Bucco! This culinary masterpiece was sheer ecstasy on a plate. Thanks Chef Victor, you have won a place in my heart forever! The risotto was also amazing and complemented the veal perfectly. My husband enjoyed his beef braciole with pappardelle pasta. For dessert, we ordered the chocolate lava cake with fresh whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. This was also fantastic.

What a great place to celebrate our anniversary. We will definitely be back. Would you care to join us?

Capri Ristorante is located at 39 SE 1st Ave. Boca Raton, FL 33432 (a block south of Palmetto Park Road and 1 block east of Federal Hwy). http://bit.ly/CapriRistorante 561-391-8044


Until we eat again...

I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise

A Fine Dining establishment in East Boca Raton that won't break the bank

Hello fellow foodies,

My husband and I recently went to a wonderful intimate restaurant in East Boca Raton called Six Tables (www.SixTablesBocaRaton.com ).
This place is outstanding. For around $100, you get a lovely 4 course meal, with a glass of champagne to begin with. The night we were there, I ordered the Lobster Bisque to start and let me tell you, this was the best Lobster Bisque that I have ever had in my life. Yumm, warms my tummy just thinking/writing about it..oh, sorry, got a bit side tracked. A basket of warm homemade bread was brought to the table that melted the butter on contact. It had a hint of fresh rosemary that was so delicious. We both delighted in the salad that was tossed with this fantastic again, homemade, dressing. I had the lamb chops, my husband had the steak- both cooked to absolute perfection. There was also a lemon sorbet brought out to "cleanse our palates"- which you know you're at a fine dining establishment when you see that. To round off this great evening, we ended with a decadent slice of chocolate tort (which I enjoyed with my superb glass of red wine) and key lime pie. The owner Jon, is very nice and personal and he cooks for everyone at the same time, it's like you're guests at his home. The ambience is very nice and romantic and you can actually have a pleasant conversation with your dinner guest without having to shout. We had a very enjoyable evening. So, if you are looking for a unique romantic dining experience then I would suggest you pick up the phone and make your next dinner reservation at Six Tables of Boca Raton.

Six Tables is located at 112 NE 2nd St, Boca Raton, FL 33432
(561) 347-6260

http://bit.ly/aRlK3Z

Until we eat again...
I send you delicious wishes,

Denise XO

Great Happy Hours/Weekly Specials in Downtown Boca Raton- Part 1

Hello to all my foodie friends. Thanks for taking the time to read this, my very first blog. I hope you find it both informative and even somewhat entertaining. My intention is to provide you with great food finds in and around the downtown Boca area (quite simply because I love food, I love talking about it and this is where I live and work- which automatically makes me qualified for the position). Anyway, here we go with Part 1 of Great Happy Hours/Weekly specials in Downtown Boca Raton:

One of my favorite pics is Table 42 Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar (formerly Coal Mine Pizza) in Royal Palm Place (formerly The Pink Plaza).

Table 42 has the following great deals during the week:

Monday
Empty Pasta Bowl

Tuesday
Truffle Tuesday & Quartino Specials (Quartinos are small carafes of wine)
(Their Truffle Pizza Pie is award-winning, Really!) Operations Manager, Steve Lieber took first prize at the American Pizza Making Competition in Orlando a few months ago using his Black Truffle Pizza recipe. You have got to try it, you will not be disappointed, I promise!)

Wednesday
Burger Night $5.00 burgers all night
(And let me tell you, they can make them some mighty tasty burgers.)

Thursday
Ladies Night; Ladies enjoy 2 for 1 drinks from 5 - 9pm

Friday
Big Night Fridays; Seafood Specials all night

Saturday & Sunday
Wine Down Weekends; Half Price bottles for adults & kids eat free on Sundays (WHAT?? Did I read that right? Are they out of their mind? Yep, you read that right, and nope, they're not outta their mind. Just bring the kids with you on Sunday and enjoy a family meal)

http://www.grrestaurant.com/

Click on the below link for a map to Table 42 Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar:
http://bit.ly/dgf5ZM

Until we eat again...
I send you delicious wishes, XO

Denise