Fabio's food, hospitality combine for meal that's hard to beat

I've lost count of the strange looks I get from people when I suggest they head to North Fort Myers for some of the region's best Italian food and hospitality.

But those who take my advice and experience a meal at Fabio's often call to thank me. A few have even apologized for their skepticism.

Further proof of its goodness comes from the fact that I've taken discerning family and friends from locales such as New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and beyond who have given it high praise as well.

Since 1983, the Ciminati family has been dishing up hearty Italian fare served with classic Italian hospitality in their inviting little restaurant tucked into the nondescript Lochmoor Plaza on Hancock Bridge Parkway (just west of Orange Grove Boulevard). When the Winn-Dixie was open there, a lot more people knew about it. Since the supermarket moved across the parkway and subsequently closed, Fabio's has become something of a secret known primarily to foodies with radar sensitive enough to sniff it out.

It is well worth the effort. Edmondo and Tina Ciminati, their daughter Viviana Vena, and her teen-aged daughter, Jessica, along with a handful of long-time employees, have created a welcoming haven in which the food is fresh, bountiful and quite possibly habit-forming.

The Polpo (octopus) salad, a frequent special at Fabio's in North Fort Myers. Fabio's - named for the owners' son, Fabio, who has also worked there on and off through the years - consists of two small dining rooms, which at one time served as separate but equal facilities for smokers and non-smokers. Both rooms got an update after Hurricane Charley tore up the roof and drenched the place. They are decorated in warm earth tones, the cream-colored walls adorned with sketches of stars of Hollywood's Golden Age: Yul Brynner, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, among them.

Burnt sienna tablecloths brighten the tables and handsome dark wood shelves surrounding the kitchen pass-through add a touch of elegance.

Homey is a word that always comes to mind when I think about Fabio's. The restaurant doesn't take credit cards, but happily accepts local checks. Specials are listed on a white erasable board that's propped up on a chair next to each new arrival's table. The menu is large and devoid of description. That might be a problem if the service staff wasn't intimately familiar with every dish and happy to describe it in delectable detail.

PHOTOS KAREN FELDMAN Edmondo Ciminati, the chef/owner of Fabio's Ristorante, is as well known for his ready smile and effervescent personality as for the authentic Italian food he's served at his North Fort Myers restaurant since 1983. It was

just such

a description

that got me hooked

on one of my favorite dishes: capelli alla Ninetta. It's a simple dish, consisting of slender strands of pasta, marinara sauce, peas, onions, lots of sliced garlic and chunks of dark tonno, canned Italian tuna that's darker and mellower that to which Americans are accustomed.

It's a family recipe Edmondo Ciminati's mother used to feed her family in Italy when times were tough and money was tight. In my mind, it is Italian soul food of the highest order.

But, of course, I'm aware that not everyone shares my devotion to that particular fish. That's no problem as the menu here has something for everyone: some of the usual suspects, such as spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant Parmagiana, linguine with clam sauce (red or white), pizza, veal or chicken Marsala. And then there are little surprises, such as polpo (octopus) salad and zuppe pesce, a wondrous melange of seafood topped with crisp pieces of bread for sopping up that rich broth.

On a recent evening, my husband and my parents, visiting from the Philadelphia area, and I enjoyed a veritable feast.

We began with appetizers of clam soup, mussels oreganata, stuffed Portobello and polpo (octopus) salad. Each dish could well have served as an entrée and, in essence, did.

The clam soup wasn't the usual chowder. It had a thinner but well-seasoned broth loaded with clams, potatoes and onions. The mussels were garlicky and fresh, with just a touch of oregano flavoring them. The salad had tender bites of octopus, tomatoes, lettuce and a hearty vinaigrette. The Portobello occupied a large portion of the dish, topped with crabmeat and bread crumbs, surrounded in a creamy tomato sauce that perfectly complemented the mushroom and its contents.

A basket of hot Italian bread made it far too easy to sop up all the delicious juices from the mussels, mushroom and soup.

Salads, which come with all entrees, contain a fresh mix of greens, carrots, tomatoes, a bit of onion and red cabbage topped with an excellent homemade garlicky ranch dressing.

At this point, all four of us discovered that we were full. Very full. And our entrees hadn't yet arrived. Uh-oh.

It wasn't long before the main courses arrived: a huge chicken Parmigiana, a bountiful plate of pasta topped with red clam sauce, the aforementioned bowl of capelli alla Ninetta and chicken balsamico, which consisted of big chunks of chicken and onions in a well-balanced sweet and sour balsamic sauce.

We tried gamely to eat with gusto, but it was clear we'd all run out of steam. The proprietors were unfazed. They'd obviously seen this happen before. They were happy to box everything up for us. All four dishes were delicious the following night, affording us a welcome cooking-free evening the day before Thanksgiving.

The worst part about filling up so early was that we were unable to tuck into a piece of ethereal tiramisu created by Tina Ciminati. My understanding is that tiramisu is loosely translated as "take me to Heaven" and this incredibly light rendition does that with its layers of sponge cake, cream with a touch of coffee-flavored sauce.

Go to Fabio's a couple of times and you are likely to become part of the family, too. I noticed that more customers hugged and kissed one or more of the Ciminatis hello and/or goodbye than merely waved goodbye.

Arrive late enough in the evening, when the pace slows down, and the chef himself, still clad in his well-used apron, is apt to stop by your table to chat.

For those who have forgotten - or perhaps never experienced - the charm of an Italian restaurant owned and operated by an Italian family, this is an experience not to be missed.

I'll see you there.