Good bite
Daily SRQ Tuesday Meals and Food Edition
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 |
by Laura Puckett
Photo: A plate of Acquapazza’s homemade fresh pasta. Photo courtesy of Aquapazza.
If you’re looking for some Italian sunshine to brighten your winter days, check out Acqua Pazza Coastal Italian, a new coastal Italian restaurant in downtown Wellen Park. After traveling throughout Italy with his family, co-owner David Valentino wanted to create an eatery that paid homage to the country.
“We’re always talking and developing concepts, but the idea of creating Italian food with a more traditional approach excited us, but had been on the back burner for quite some time.” says Valentino. “When Wellen Park approached us with another opportunity to take over the restaurant space there, it didn’t take us long to realize that was the place we wanted to take over. It’s also something that hasn’t existed in this growing and exciting region.” He and his team, who own other businesses such as Donatos and The Banyan House Restaurant, are both Italian and Italian-American. We have established a facility that incorporates the rich food culture of Japan. For dinner, an impressive veal chop he parmigiana and other dishes, these allow him to experiment with a blend of the two traditions. “Our veal chop parmigiana is the highlight. It’s a generous 14 ounces. Veal chops with the bone. We remove the bones and pan-sear the veal for our guests. San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo. “We top it with mozzarella cheese in a traditional Parmigiana style. It’s a combination of both Italian and Italian-American traditions,” he added.
Other menu items draw on the traditions of the Roman city, just a 45-minute drive from the sea. “In Roman cuisine, we see many coastal influences and fresh seafood beyond his four classic pasta dishes that are associated with this region,” says Valentino. Still, his menu includes Amatriciana, Carbonara, and Cacioe His Pepe, three of his four pasta dishes. Other Roman delicacies found at Acqua His Pazza are fried artichokes, commonly eaten throughout the city’s Jewish quarter. Salted cod, or baccala, is also served in this part of Rome. This is one of the types of seafood he includes in Frito Pesce, a fried seafood platter that’s perfect for sharing. For dessert, you can already sample his tiramisu, a pistachio in a mug that incorporates one of the favorite Italian ingredients in a creative way. Whether your guest is sampling pasta or seafood, he’ll be sure to indulge in Italian delicious cuisine at Pazza.
Acqua Pazza Coastal Italian, 19750 Wellen Park Blvd., Unit #D, Venice, 941-244-5147, acquapazzaitalian.com.
Photo: A plate of Acquapazza’s homemade fresh pasta. Photo courtesy of Aquapazza.
Aqua Pazza Coastal Italian Cuisine