Grown-up Bianca's charms customers with big portions, moderate prices

When I first visited Bianca's Ristorante, it was a small family-run operation where the owners' young daughter, the eponymous Bianca, was often present and sometimes even helped greet and seat guests.

That was about 13 years ago. The original owners sold the place a while back so I can't tell you anything about them other than that the young lady for whom the establishment was named would now be in her early 20s. The restaurant, however, now owned by Bill and Stacey Esposito, has grown, too, occupying four storefronts in a strip center that faces U.S. 41 in North Fort Myers near the intersection with Littleton Road.

Not only has the dining room grown, but they have added a nicely appointed bar that's cozy and warm.

The menu appears to have grown, too, featuring a wealth of southern Italian comfort fare, most of which will be familiar to Americans. From the fried calamari and bruschetta to spaghettini carbonara, penne alla vodka, lasagna, chicken Parmigiana and shrimp scampi, there's plenty of reasonably priced traditional food to be had here.

A uniformly welcoming staff adds to the good vibes of the place, where Mr. Esposito greets customers as they arrive and makes regular rounds in the dining room to ensure all is well.

KAREN FELDMAN / FLORIDA WEEKLY Chicken Florence features chicken, broccoli and asparagus in a marinara and cream sauce. The operation appeared to be functioning smoothly during our visit on a rainy weekday night. The weather hadn't discouraged a festive party of 13 adults at a large table with balloons attached to each chair nor had it deterred a number of smaller groups scattered around the large dining room.

Our server informed us that since we'd arrived just before 6:30 p.m., we were entitled to two-for-one pricing on the house wine list. Unlike many restaurants, Bianca's carries some respectable house wines. I chose the Ruffino chianti while my dining companion picked a lighter-bodied Folonari valpolicella. Both are good, solid Italian wines that, not surprisingly, stand up well to marinara sauces.

Along with our first glasses of wine, our server delivered a basket of warm rolls that had been well basted with garlic oil. They were a little messy to handle, but had good flavor even without the butter with which they'd been served.

A generous platter of fried calamari comes with lively marinara sauce brightened by a spritz of lemon. Fortunately, appetizers arrived before we'd done too much damage to those rolls.

The fried eggplant roll ($7.99) consisted of layers of thinly sliced eggplant, provolone and ham rolled up and baked, served with marinara and a creamy peppercorn sauce. One end of the roll was dressed with

marinara, the other with the white sauce. I preferred the red sauce, which was warm, to the white, which wasn't and seemed more like a salad dressing than a sauce. The roll itself was mild in flavor. It, too, could have been warmer.

A plate of calamari fritti ($8.99) was generous — enough for two — containing nicely fried rings and legs along with a bright marinara that had lovely lemon grace notes. The calamari was crisp and

the breading had good flavor but, again, it wasn't as warm as it could have been.

Salads come with all entrees and both the house and Caesar versions were fresh.

There was a bit of a lag between salads and entrees, but our server came by to apologize and tell us they would be

out soon, which

they were.

Both the chicken Florence ($16.99) and Bianca's combo dinner ($14.99) came on large oval platters each wearing a blanket of marinara sauce. While I am a marinara fan, and Bianca's has a nicely balanced version, I'd have preferred that it not obscure the food beneath it.

The chicken had been pounded thin then sautéed and served with broccoli and asparagus in a marinara that had a touch of cream added. The chicken was tender, the vegetables were properly cooked and the cream added a mellow note to the sauce. It was a pleasant departure from parmigiana and alfredo, which can be overly heavy in the summer, and piccata, which may be too astringent for some palates.

The combo platter held a stuffed shell, manicotti, cheese ravioli and eggplant parmigiana, a hearty option for those who don't eat meat. They were somewhat hard to detect beneath all the marinara but all the pastas were tender and tasty. The eggplant was slightly overcooked but had good flavor.

We finished with a piece of tiramisu, which was exquisitely light and airy, with a delicious creamy layer and vivid espresso flavor topped off by a generous dollop of whipped cream.

It may come as no surprise that we had enough of both entrees left over for another meal, making the modest price even more economical.

Twice during our dinner Mr. Esposito stopped by as he made the rounds of all the tables, checking on how our dinners were progressing.

The Espositos purchased Bianca's about two years ago and added the bar late last fall. Running it is clearly a labor of love, which it must be to make it successful.

As I tend to find in independent operations like this one, Mr. Esposito cares a great deal about the guest experience and goes out of his way to make sure customers are enjoying themselves. It's heartening to see such efforts paying off and it's a pleasure to to see Bianca's growing up so gracefully.