Linda Mac's Orlando Adventures

Tutto Italia's lunch menu offers 5 appetizers with prices starting at $8 for Pasta E Fagioli Soup to $24 for Antipasto Misto. The antipasto is large enough to share with your family. The salad choices are limited to the traditional Caesar Salad for $16 (you can add chicken or jumbo shrimp for an additional $3/$9) and Sicilian Tuna Confit Salad for $20. Only one sandwich is offered for lunch, the PLT Panino with Prosciutto ham, mozzarella, lettuce and tomato for $15.

I passed on the starters and went right for the main course, Lasagne "al forno", baked pasta with meat ragu, bechamel and parmesan $19. Entree prices begin at $19 with the most expensive, Tagliata di Manzo , a beef dish with fennel and arugula salad at $28. Side dishes are $8 and change daily; sauteed zucchini was offered during my visit. I did have to ask about the side dish/dishes of the day and was hoping for more of a selection.

The bread basket was served with several olives in a small dish topped with olive oil. Along side was an additional dish of olive oil. The three types of bread were: flatbread, sun-dried Italian bread and house bread. According to Davide, one the managers who stopped by my table several times, the house bread is flown in from a "famous bakery" in NY. It was the best of the 3. If you prefer butter instead of olive oil, just ask your server. Another nice touch - my water glass was filled with chilled water and no ice, a personal preference.

My lasagne (their spelling not mine) was tasty and full of meat in several layers. The portion was so large that I did not finish it. However, I was expecting the lasagne to be richer than it was since it included bechamel (a white sauce made with milk, flour and butter) in the menu description. The marinara sauce was light and tasty. I did request additional sauce which to me really improved the dish. The lasagne seemed to a popular choice with other dinners as well. Since many of us, myself included, are not experts in Italian cuisine I would like to see clearer descriptions of the menu items. For instance, I didn't realize Tagliata di Manzo was a beef dish until after I ordered the lasagne.

I purposely saved room for dessert but it was very hard to pick just one. At Davide's suggestion, I ordered the house specialty, Bugie/Chiacchere which is described as "Our signature Anis and Sambucca-flavored Crisp Pastry with Chocolate or Apricot Sauces" $10. To be honest, I wasn't sure what exactly I had ordered. Let me tell you, I thought it was mistake when the plate arrived since it was huge - enough for a small group! The selection was a perfect choice to enjoy with coffee or espresso especially if you don't want something so rich that you feel like you need a nap after lunch. The taste of the rich dark chocolate sauce on the sugar covered pastry took me back to my younger days when I frequented New York City's, Little Italy.

The most enjoyable parts of my dining experience included the attentive service and relaxing atmosphere. Sometimes small touches can make a meal special. For example, Marco served me a second soda with my Lasagne before I was finished with the first one and without waiting for me to request a refill. Very nice.

I like to take my time especially over dessert and coffee. This was not a problem at Tutto Italia. It is unbelievable how many times servers at other restaurants will plop down the check at the same time your dessert is served. Hopefully this great service will not change when word gets out that Tutto Italia is open and begins to book up. As a final touch, after Marco had picked up my signed credit card slip and thanked me, he returned a second time, a few minutes later, to say thank you again. That rarely, if ever happens.

After lunch, I stopped by to talk to AllEars® readers, Danielle and Scott. They were allowed to order the Antipasto (cost $24) as a single appetizer on the dining plan. Perhaps that will change but for now that is what I call really getting the most bang for your buck. The Antipasto was so large that I had noticed it from across the room on server’s tray! In addition to the Antipasto, they had the Pasta E Fagioli Soup ($8), Lasagne "al Forno" ($19) and Penne Caprese ($18). From the children’s menu their daughter had Mozzarella Sticks - fresh circular slices of Mozzarella that was lightly breaded and fried ($6) and Spaghetti ($9) as her entree. Everything on the children's menu is ala carte including the beverage. They gave a big thumbs up for the entire meal.

Tutto Italia is only a temporary restaurant. From what I have been told, a yet un-named quick service restaurant will be built across the courtyard in Italy. When that is completed, Tutto Italia will close for an extensive rehab and reopen with an entire new name, look and menu. Work is expected to be completed sometime in late 2008.

Overall, the food was good but pricey for lunch. The dessert was outstanding and that could be attributed to the fact that the only member of the Aldredo's kitchen team to continue working in the new restaurant is the pastry chef. I do look forward to giving Tutto Italia another try.

Finally, to answer a question that I have received a ton of emails about -- Sorry, Fettuccine Alfredo was not offered as of the day I visited.

You can read part one of my report on Tutto Italia, including photos on my previous blog.