Does Fort Lauderdale really need another Italian restaurant with the so many we have? Yes if they are as good as the Ostaria Acqua Farina Restaurant! I had heard about the restaurant and we always passed it on the way to 17th street. On Thursday I suggested we have Italian food suggesting either the upscale Café Vico or the down at home Big Louie’s, both my favorite Italian restaurants for different reasons and, at the last minute, suggested trying Osteria so off we went!

Situated in an abbreviated shopping strip the restaurant isn’t really imposing until you open the door, where you find Brandon, the server, ready to welcome you, asking if you prefer a booth or a table, and to sit wherever you want. It was about 1:30 and there were 3 other parties seated and he was attentive to all. The chef, in the open kitchen, said hello, greeting us in Italian and English.

After we were seated, as I usually do, I asked the server for recommendations and he suggested we hear the ‘specials’ for the day and go from there. He was right as Allen picked the Chicken Marsala and I had the Linguini Pompadoura with meatballs. It may be vulgar, or house policy, but the prices weren’t mentioned for the specials and at the same time it was my fault not asking. In any case both were excellent but also the highest priced items which sort of defeated the ‘lunch special’ idea.

Both lunch, squared white China plates, were presented by a chef who was proud of his work and served by a waiter who was equally as proud of his service. Along with the two big meatballs and a heaping portion of al dente linguine with a homemade sauce ($18) was a good portion of ricotta cheese on the side. Allen raved about his chicken ($18) and was very pleased that there was a good serving of salad on the plate instead of the normal tablespoon portion. We both had diet cokes ($3 each) and Brandon was very fast with refills. The only unimpressive part of the meal was the nondescript bread served.

The lunch menu had salads ranging from $9-13, sandwiches $12-14, entrees $14-18 and pizzas from $12-16.

With tax and tip our check came to $52, a bit high for a lunch of ‘specials’ but the food and service were well worth the price.

SLIDESHOW https://youtu.be/SK9xgu9KbQo