Angelina's seductive charms win over discriminating diners

It's hard to know where to start when talking about Angelina's Ristorante.

She's a knockout, an unabashed beauty that looks every bit the pampered, polished trophy wife. No expense has been spared in reinventing the space that once held the Sanibel Steakhouse. Rich woods, thickly upholstered furniture, elegant drapery and dramatic lighting give it a well-heeled yet sultry appeal.

Then there's the menu, with a few predictable offerings - veal osso buco and cioppino, for example - but most dishes have imaginative touches that signal that chef Nick Costanzo is no flash in the pan.

Antipasti of Mediterranean olives, artisanal cheese and Italian cured meats are served in individual or familystyle portions. Free-range rabbit tenderloin comes wrapped in Speck dell'Alto Adige. For a romantic dinner for two there's whole snapper encrusted in sea salt then baked and served tableside. Other dishes feature housemade pasta, buffalo mozzarella and locally caught black grouper.

Angelina's offers a superb wine list with an impressive international selection, including an extensive range of Italian and French vintages. It not only has depth, it has height, as in the glass-enclosed tower of wines complete with a spiral staircase that dominates the foyer of the restaurant.

An Amalfi-style seafood and tomato soup, Angelina's zuppa di mare is a celebration of fresh fish, scallops. clams and escarole.

The management has kept discriminating bargain hunters in mind as well with a three-course prix fixe menu for $28. The wine list offers still more bargains. Until Nov. 1, all wines priced at $100 or less are available for half off. Considering the current state of the economy, it's a savvy and appealing offer.

Portions are tailored so that three or four courses wouldn't be out of the question. That allows room for an appetizer, salad or pasta course, entrée and dessert. My party of three sampled a bit from each section of the menu and were impressed with them all.

One person chose the prix fixe dinner, starting with the al Napoli flatbread, a crisp bread layered with sopressata, pancetta and prosciutto topped with basil, pomodoro and ricotta impastata. Sliced in thirds, it was easy to eat and to share. The thinly sliced cured meats and creamy ricotta accented by the bright flavors of basil and tomato made this a favorite at the table. Angelina's house salad, with its mission figs, goat cheese, pistachios and pickled onions, was dressed in a stellar aged balsamic vinaigrette. And the yellowtail snapper was resplendent atop crisp pancetta and white bean ragout with a truffled sweet corn coulis.

FLORIDA WEEKLY PHOTOS BY KAREN FELDMAN Yellow fin tuna is grilled in olive oil and sea salt then served with a cannallini bean and Maine lobster ragout.

My other companion and I were equally taken with the ceviche trio - marinated tuna, scallops and grouper with shaved fennel, grapefruit-radish salsa and yellow pepper relish that looked more like a 3D work of art than food - and the soulful zuppa di mare.

We shared a plate of heavenly pappardelle Capri, house-made flat pasta bathed in a vibrant sauce of tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil drizzled with Sorrento lemon olive oil.

Our entrees were every bit as spectacular: the yellow fin tuna al griglia with cannellini and lobster ragout, broccolini and saffron-limoncello citronette; and savory lamb chops marinated in lemon and mint, grilled and accompanied by arrancini (flavorful fried rice balls, which taste much better than they sound).

There are regularly priced desserts, such as the warm zeppoli with a trio of dipping sauces, that I lusted after upon seeing the table next to ours dunking the fragrant fried dough balls into the sauces, but we went with the smaller $3 selections - a rich and wonderful créme de menthe and chocolate panna cotta, vanilla mascarpone cheesecake with lemon curd and blueberry-orange compote and tiramisu with Kahlua gelee - and managed to finished every last drop.

Alas, nothing is perfect and there were a few glitches in our dinner, the most serious of which was the chip in the lip of the decanter in which our wine was served, a flaw that went unnoticed until I picked it up to refill our glasses.

 

Our server lacked the polish I'd expect at a restaurant of this caliber, sharing biographical information and offering wine suggestions before we'd had a chance to crack open the exhaustive list or the menu. With such a wide-ranging wine list, savoring it is as much a part of the pleasure as drinking the wine.

The restaurant has a staff sommelier and I assume it was she who stopped by toward the end of the meal to ask how we were enjoying our 2001 Aurelio Settimo Roche Barolo (very much, thank you). However, our server never asked if we'd like to consult with her prior to making our selection. There aren't many local restaurants with a sommelier so it would make sense for the server to share that information early on.

When our pepper shaker tipped onto its side, she blithely picked it up, blew on it to dispatch stray bits of pepper and set it back down on the table.

Let me add, however, that two nearby parties consisted of returning customers and at least one had requested this server so obviously some people like the chatty, informal approach even in a fine-dining establishment.

 

These detracted only slightly from what was an exceptional meal and will not stop me from recommending it highly to others or returning — as soon as possible — myself.

It's easy to see why Angelina's magnetism is rapidly attracting a loyal following.