By Gary Nager
As a native New Yorker, it’s tough not having great, authentic Italian food nearby. And, even though we have several good-to-excellent NY-style pizza places in Wesley Chapel, we’ve never had a delicious, genuine Italian “ristorante” in our area.
Until now, that is. If you haven’t already heard of or checked out the new D’Alessio Italian Ristorante, located directly across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC), I hope the pictures and descriptions on these pages will convince you to go and enjoy.
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How authentic is D’Alessio? Owner and executive chef Dominick and his brother Bruno were born and raised in Sicily. Dominick speaks perfect English (with his legit Sicilian accent), as well as Spanish and Italian, while his brother Bruno (who lived in Venezuela) speaks only Italian and Spanish. The same goes for chef Gerardo, who is from Naples and looks like a cross between actor Robert DeNiro and 1950s-era former middleweight boxing champion Rocky Graziano.
Although not having a lot of English-speaking management at the restaurant did cause some communication issues, which created some service issues the first couple of busy weekends for D’Alessio, those issues seem to have been resolved, and the food I’m about to describe is, without a doubt, some of the best southern Italian cuisine in the Tampa Bay area.
D’Alessio is elegantly designed and a true fine dining experience, so don’t expect to be in and out in 20 or 30 minutes. But, if you want the “real deal” — at prices way lower than what you’d pay in South Tampa or the West Shore/Tampa Airport area — you have to try this place.
The menu is loaded with a great variety of antipasti, from our office’s favorite, the delicately golden fried calamari fritti, to the insalata Caprese, which is loaded with fresh basil and bocconcini slices (bocconcini are freshly made, ball-shaped mozzarella cheeses), plus eggplant rollatini (delicate eggplant stuffed with ricotta and baked), soups and beautiful-looking seafood favorites I sadly am allergic to — like gamberi al carciofo (shrimp in garlic, butter, lemon and white wine with artichokes) and cozze alla marinara (mussels in a garlic wine and marina sauce). There’s even a delicious Caesar (not made tableside, but still yummy), to which you can add grilled chicken and enjoy as a meal unto itself or share as an appetizer.
D’Alessio also features an incredible selection of homemade pasta dishes. My favorite to date is the orecchiette pasta alla Barese, which is an ear-shaped pasta sautéed with garlic and virgin olive oil, fresh ground sausage and broccoli rabe (when Dominick finds broccoli rabe of acceptable quality; he otherwise substitutes regular broccoli), the penne alla vodka, the gnocchi al pomodoro (homemade potato dumplings with marinara and parmesan cheese, although I always ask to hold the parmesan), the ziti with homemade meatballs and marinara and the linguine with fresh clams, which is among the best I’ve had in the Tampa Bay area. Seriously.
I will say that if you like your pasta al denté like I do, you have to order it that way. Dominick, who owned a restaurant/deli on Martin Luther King Blvd. for 20 years, has found that most people who live here in the Tampa Bay area don’t like their pasta as firm as Italians and native New “Yawkas” do, but I hope you’ll give my suggestion a try, especially if you enjoy gnocchi or penne/ziti.
There are so many pastas on the menu, I haven’t been able to sample them all yet, but everyone at our office loved the linguine pescatore that I couldn’t share because it features shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari and even pieces of fresh grouper. I also plan to try the pasta carbonara (with bacon, onions, sweet peas and a garlic and white wine cream sauce), the spaghetti alla putanesca (a traditional Sicilian dish with garlic, capers, black olives, anchovies and marinara), the homemade lobster ravioli with “D’Alessio sauce,” the baked ziti Sicilian and the homemade lasagne.
If you’re looking for seafood, chicken or especially veal entrées, you can’t go wrong at D’Alessio, and Dominick promises to be adding a couple of steak entrées to the menu soon.
“I always want to hear the suggestions our customers have for our menu,” he says. “And so far, people are asking for steak and more fresh fish, especially grouper.” There is a grouper pizzaiola (with garlic, capers, black olives, marinara and oregano) on the menu, but it hasn’t always been available because Dom was trying to find the right supplier, which he says he has now found, so stay tuned.
I know that not everyone loves veal, but I really do and I promise you won’t find better anywhere in this area. The vitello parmigiana is a large portion of tender, breaded veal, topped with marinara and mozzarella and baked. For a delicious additional flavor, try the vitello Sorrentina, which is thinly sliced veal topped with thin slices of delicately fried eggplant and the same mozzarella and marinara. Other favorites to try are the vitello piccata (butter, lemon, white wine and capers), the vitello saltimbocca (butter, sage, white wine and demiglace, topped with prosciutto di parma) and the Marsala and pizzaiola. I’ve yet to try the veal ossobucco (veal shank with onions, red wine and marinara), so that’s next on my list.
Many of the same dishes are available with chicken, if you’re not into veal, and the pollo Valdostana (with butter, sage and white wine, with prosciutto di parma and mozzarella) is another tasty option. Other than grouper, the seafood options are limited to shrimp and salmon entrées, neither of which I eat, but I hope you’ll try them and let me know what you think.
I almost forgot to mention the pizza. Dom says that although his brick-oven-baked pizzas are similar to NY-style, they’re more of a traditional Neapolitan style and he makes the crusts fresh every day. And, they’re awesome. With 14- and 16-inch sizes available anytime and a special 12-inch cheese pizza available for just $7.99 (toppings extra) at lunch time (see below), you can order your pizza any way you prefer, and there are gourmet varieties available, too, from our office’s favorite primavera pizza with tomato, spinach, garlic, ricotta and mozzarella, to a meat lovers to Margherita-style and more.
The Best Lunch In Town, Too?
Although dining at D’Alessio isn’t cheap, a great way to sample the menu is to try it for lunch, which is served 11 a.m.-4 p.m. every day except Monday. For just $7.99, you can enjoy half-portions of many of your Italian favorites, from chicken parmigiana to the penne with meatballs pictured above, all served with a tasty house salad, for just $7.99 each!
Plus, D’Alessio has a nice, reasonably-priced wine list, Italian and other imported and domestic beers (try the Moretti red), an affordable kids menu and takeout, decadent desserts and delivery and catering are available. And, with the coupons from the ad on page 32, you can take 10-percent-off your total bill or get a large cheese pizza and ten delicious wings for only $21!
D’Alessio (2653 BBD) is open every day except Monday for lunch and dinner. Reservations are always accepted, but not required. Call 406-4889 or visit DAlessioRestaurant.com.
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