Walking into Fiorentina, we were struck immediately by the upbeat atmosphere...nice contemporary art on the exposed random brick walls, a large and lively bar, dramatic light fixtures, and an open and very active kitchen.  One of the cooks made a show out of twirling his tongs around his hand over and over whenever he didn't need to snag some food.  Everyone, of a variety of ages, seemed to be having fun.  A really good waiter with a lot of knowledge of the menu and a great sense of humor (his name is Neil) took our drink orders rapidly.  After delivering them, he promptly returned with plates of crusty Italian bread, marinated olives, and a good peppered olive oil for dunking that bread.  Some of us asked for slight adjustments to the way the dishes we ordered were prepared, but that did not seem to daunt Neil nor, he advised us, would that be any problem for the chef.  As a matter of fact, regarding the pasta, we could have any preparation at all with any pasta.

OK...the starters:  A Fritto Misto of calamari, shrimp, and artichokes was probably the best I have ever had, and I'm not a big fan of calamari.  The ingredients were incredibly light and crispy with a touch of lemon zest and served with two sauces: marinara and lemon aioli.  Pappa al Pomodoro, a Tuscan style tomato and bread soup could have had a bit more seasoning, and the tomato could have been a bit less raw- tasting for me but C thought it was excellent.  Two friends shared a roasted beet and goat cheese salad on perfectly dressed greens with a sprinkle of pistachio.  Who knew that healthful "greenies" could taste so good! 

We waited quite a while for our entrees to come...right before they did, we were approached by Joshua Santangelo, the restaurant's owner/operator, who assured us that the food would be out very soon.  It was, and some mighty good food at that.  C had an appetizer of Gamberoni Alla Toscana, grilled jumbo shrimp with white beans, rosemary and mint aioli.  She seemed to like it.  Her husband had Linguini con Vongole with clams, garlic, chili, and pancetta.  He said it was very good but maybe a little too spicy.  R's pasta Bolognese was wonderful, a perfect blend of pancetta, pork, veal, and beef over his pasta.  My other half had Spaghetti con Arogosta which was quite disappointing: it was with lobster, mint, chili, and cherry tomatoes, but the chili seemed to be missing and the dish was lacking in any flavor.  Another guest had grilled snapper with tomatoes, capers, olives, and saut�ed escarole, which I tasted...I felt that it was a bit fishy tasting.  The show stopper was my dish!  I had Rigatoni alla Bucaiola, a wonderful treatment of rigatoni, peas, cream, Italian sausage, and Grana Padano, similar to parmagiano cheese.  The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sausage was sweet, not spicy, just the way I like it, and it was, quite simply, DIVINE!  I went to the market the next day and bought all ingredients...I'm going to recreate this one at home!

We all dipped our spoons into two excellent desserts, my favorite being a cr�me Brule with an under crust of chopped dark chocolate and nuts.  I wish I could have sampled some of the other offerings of the restaurant: several starters, several grilled pizzas, a nice selection of pastas, as well as a balanced selection of vegetables, fish, veal, poultry, beef, and pork.  Fiorentina has only been open a few months and I am sure there are some kinks to be ironed out.  But I think it will be a keeper. Warning: parking can be a real pain in the butt, especially in season and on a weekend night.  But...would I return? You bet! 

707 Lake Avenue

Lake Worth, FL 

561-588-9707