Page 8 - Boca Exposure - March '24

Page 8, Boca Exposure
Dining Out: Now There’s No Need

To Travel To Rome To Eat Like A Roman!

Fiolina Pasta House this skin-on fish with a fabulous pomodoro sauce. Chef hazelnut paste spread (much like Nutella). It’s then blanketed
5377 Town Center Road, #300, Fabio likes to keep the heat on this one at a medium rare with a mirror-like ganache topping that glistens from the plate.
Boca Raton, FL 33486 temperature, for the purpose of retaining its integrity. Yum! The Sicilian Cannoli Cake ($16) didn’t fair as well.
(561) 473-9400 A final entrée selected by Hungry S was a mega size The overhanded orange zest dominated our taste buds and
fiolinaboca@fabiotrabocchi.com “shareable” Strauss Veal Parmigiana ($68). Not holding overpowered any remembrance of a Cannoli. If you’re full, go
back on quality, this brand of meat is about as organic as for Nonna’s Cookies; you can’t go wrong with them.
Food For Thought: Recently you’re going to get. Tender to the touch, lightly breaded, Check Please: I have always viewed pasta plates to
we witnessed the opening of a new topped with Fior di Latte Mozzarella and draped with an be a bit overpriced, considering the cost of starch. But
section of restaurants. They call it “Restaurant Row” even excellent tomato sauce. Even with two forks going you’ll when it comes to the quality of ingredients and the proper
though there are only two of them at the moment. Situated have enough to take home. execution of its preparation it is a lot less expensive than
just east of Town Center you’ll find the second location of El From The Dessert Tray: With their own celebrity taking a trip to Italy! The days of pasta swimming in a
Camino Mexican restaurant joining the Fiolina Pasta House. pastry chef in house, expect a great variety to choose from. ladle of marinara sauce is in the history books unless you
Lately, Boca has been a target destination for numerous We sampled several and here are our picks: Definitely go are eating at your local corner Italian restaurant. So our
expansions of out-of-state restaurants causing Hungry Al to with their signature Piemontese Gianduja Cake ($18). This visit to this pasta house makes it easy for the Hungry
run an eating marathon just to keep up. slice of cake is not huge but packs a punch of chocolate. It Squad to drain out four golden linguine noodles to help
The Fiolina Pasta House originated in Washington, D.C., is a layer cake comprised of a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate Chef Fabio get another Michelin star!
and has now migrated to several other locations as far as
Miami. The guy behind the curtain is Fabio Trabocchi, an
internationally acclaimed chef with a one-star Michelin
restaurant to his credit. I love the idea of a pasta house.
Simply put, it’s a great business decision with the obvious
notion that pizza and pasta are not only a great profit margin A
for the restaurant’s bottom line but a great benefit for all of
us Italian cuisine lovers.
Interestingly, when I was living in London I would
frequently dine at a pasta house every weekend after a night COLONOSCOPY
out. The menu was simple, portions sensible and the food
was excellent. Perfect answer to a night of dancing and
alcohol consumption. For me, the Fiolina could serve the
same purpose.
First Impressions: This “house” is not your typical Italian CAN SAVE
restaurant, nor is it a pizza stop. It has a causal bistro feel like
you would find in an urban city. Don’t expect tablecloths,
spacious tables or quiet acoustics. But what you will find is
a very hip environment with stunning colors, chic lighting,
open kitchen, welcoming bar and great service. And for those
of you who prefer outside dining you won’t be disappointed. YOUR LIFE
The outside patio is nicely designed and serene without the
normal city noise or traffic. For special group occasions the
private dining is perfect for a more intimate get-together.
Prime Your Taste Buds: There are plenty of options for
starters here at the Fiolina Pasta House. From the Mozzarella
Bar you can choose from Buffalo, Burrata and Smoked
Burrata. ($16-$24). You can also share Tagliere Di Mozzarella
($70 selection of 3) for those with deep pockets. There is also
an array of Salumi to select.
Meatballs have always been a barometer for me and a
great precursor in what’s to come. These three balls ($26)
were over-the-top delicious. They rolled into my mouth as I
salivated their perfect meat quality, the correct density and
spot-on seasoning.
Our table was also totally sold on their excellent Fiolina
Caesar ($26). I know that may seem a bit pricey but it delivers
more than a basic romaine salad. It’s definitely sharable for
two and has a creamy consistency without the over-powering
garlic you often find. I did scratch my head over the mountain
of snow-covering Ricotta Salata and the sliced soft-boiled FLORIDA’S HIGHEST RANKED
egg. But then again, I’m not a Michelin-starred chef!
Quick note ... their pizzas are excellent and are not your
standard pizza from Sal’s Pizzeria. Definitely artisan in nature GASTROENTEROLOGY PROGRAM
and Roman in origin. If it’s on the menu don’t pass up on the
cheese and truffle pizza. 3 YEARS IN A ROW
Straight From The Kitchen: Since this is a “pasta house”
let’s start there. This is my second visit to Fiolina so I will dish
out several of our entrée selections for both nights. First up It’s recommended that adults start getting colonoscopies at
is a Rigatoni Shrimp Scampi ($36) special of the night. This age 45, so don’t delay your chance for early detection. The
was comprised of Key West Pink Shrimp with a Pomodorini
roasted tomato sauce, hint of herbs and a finishing of ginger colorectal specialists at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital
zest. Out of all our dishes on this night it was our voted fav. utilize state-of-the-art techniques to diagnose and treat colon
Pasta perfectly a la dente with sauce not overwhelming. The
shrimp was sweet and tender. conditions. From routine screenings to the most complex
Hungry Al couldn’t resist Fiolina’s Bolognese Pappardelle surgeries, trust our experts to provide world class care. Schedule
($36). I have to compliment the chef’s version of this meaty
ragu. At first I thought I was tasting tender bits of braised short your colonoscopy today with one of Florida’s top hospitals.
ribs, but the waiter informed me it was ground beef. My only
wish was for less sauce and more of the pasta to soak it up.
Next up was the Rigatoni Caico e Pepe ($28). This is a
favorite of mine and I often order it or make it at home. In my ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Colonoscopy | 844.290.5764
past experience I have eaten it with spaghetti or linguine. I
was happily informed by Chef Fabio that in Rome it’s rigatoni
and a staple with his Nonna. The technique of blending the
toasted crushed peppercorn, the pecorino cheese and the right
amount of starched pasta water can set this dish apart from
all others. In this house it succeeded on all accounts! I would
also recommend the Bucatini alla Carbonara ($32). I love the
texture of this pasta and Chef Fabio doesn’t hold back, adding Weston | Coral Springs | Wellington | West Palm Beach
the most essential ingredient, the guanciale (cow’s cheek).
Hungry D and Hungry H both chose the Grilled Branzino
Putttanesca ($48). Fiolina does a spectacular job at grilling