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