Rated one of South Florida's Finest
Italian Restaurants.
La Trattoria, Boca
Raton
By G.B. Kirkland, Sun-Sentinel
Restaurant Critic
Posted Dec. 1, 1999
Restaurant details
La Trattoria is an attractive shopping
center stunner that surprises and delights - at least that's
what it did for us. And that's what it also seems to do for the
hordes of regulars who confidently descend upon its linen-covered
tables knowing they can count on this well-run neighborhood eatery
for excellent food and hospitable service. So what if the full-house
crowd tends to get a little loud and the recorded background
music is a little brassier than it should be. It's still impossible
not to like this place - especially with food that's worth the
trade-off of having to speak up a little to overcome the din.
In the center of this restaurant's
dramatic dining room is a soaring tree bursting with verdant
life and topping out gracefully into the embrace of one of the
loftiest ceilings in town - complete with a custom skylight.
As for the rest of the tableau, take in the tiny white lights,
lace curtains and blond woods. This carefully run spot glows
with nurturing attitudes and a desire to make sure each guest
is well attended.
Nibbles of excellent bruschetta prove
a compatible companion for perusing both the small menu of seasonal
house specialties as well as the accompanying larger one listing
regularly available pasta, veal, chicken, seafood and steaks.
An unusual calamari giglio, caught
our eye with its ultra-tender flour-dusted squid that was gently
sauteed before being paired with whole caramelized garlic cloves
and a spicy tomato glaze. Its flavors hit the mark beautifully.
Then, it was on to what resembled
fluffy clouds afloat on a sea of chicken broth. It was actually
a scattering of cooked whisked eggs bobbing on a pleasing stracciatella
alla fiorentina, characterized by a delicate broth until our
spoons collided with fresh spinach and a good Parmesan.
Mushroom lovers shouldn't pass up
fettuccine La Trattoria , a wonderful dish with woodsy pungency
from assorted wild fungi, each contributing essential flavors
yet each courteously willing to be tamed by the smoothness of
a fine tomato sauce. The firmly cooked pasta in this dish is
yet another bonus.
Don't miss an equally splendid opportunity
for a delicate treasure from the piscatorial kingdom, that jet-setter
favorite, sea bass. It's listed as branzino alla veneziana ,
and when it's available, this delicate yet firm white-fleshed
fish makes its coveted appearance in fine Italian fashion. The
large fillet is perfectly pan-seared with onions and pine nuts,
then magnificently suffused with the intricate flavors of a fine
aged balsamic.
Those with preferences for a heartwarming
dish with lyrical Old World flavors will do well with pollo alla
toscanaccia. This bone-in chicken specialty is cut into easy-to-handle
pieces, then pan-roasted with garlic, fresh spinach, cannellini
beans and baby roasted onions that offer sweet pleasure with
each mouthful. The whole affair is piled onto a large silver
serving platter with an aromatic velvety saucing carefully blended
to transport the full flavors of pan drippings into the final
result.
All entrees include average house
salads (romaine, vine-ripened tomatoes, shredded carrots, red
onions and red cabbage, with a better-than-average creamy Italian
dressing.)
If you're the only one in the
world who hasn't made the acquaintance of tiramisu, there's no
better place to cut your teeth than La Trattoria. It has the
usual ingredients - the rich intensity of decadent mascarpone
and whipped cream layered with liquor-soaked ladyfingers, yet
the final version is better than most.
Additional kudos to the cheesecake
topped with a layer of fine, smooth chocolate that's homey and
creamy and joyously avoids excessive sweetness. No matter how
sated you might be, it would seem impossible to avoid scarfing
down either of these flawless homemade treasures in their entirety.
Just as much as it would seem impossible not to savor the entire
experience of La Trattoria.
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