If you’re looking for a hearty, meaty, delicious-tasting pasta, search no more.
“Il Paesano Italian Gourmet Food & Wine Bar,” located at 2645 East Oakland Park Blvd, in Fort Lauderdale, has what you’re looking for.
Paola and Vergilio, the husband and wife team who co-own this restaurant, opened this little, unassuming place because they found it “difficult to find the authentic Italian products and a good home cooked meal the way Nonna made it. So they set out on a mission to deliver just that ... A simple fresh, home cooked meal. All the ingredients used are of the best quality and prepared fresh daily.”
Now, don’t let the simplicity of its layout — which is more like a deli, than a restaurant — delude you. There’s something extremely special going on behind the scenes.
Our waiter really pushed a pasta special — a “Strozzapreti Genovese” ($24) — that wasn’t on the printed menu.
A traditional Neapolitan dish, with roots supposedly dating back to the 15th century, this recipe typically consists of onions and beef, cooked together for 3 - 4 hours to create a thick rich sauce, that is served with pasta; normally ziti or zitoni.
The “strozzapreti — an elongated handmade pasta that is shaped like a “hangman’s knot” — worked just as well.
Smoky, beefy, rich and flavorful ... because we enjoyed every bite of this truly outstanding offering, we scored it a quasi-stellar “A-“.
Points were lost because some had issue with the $24 price-point. But all that quibbling aside, you MUST check this place out!
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