Gioia Ristorante
3330 NE 33rd St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-630-0235, GioiaRestaurant.org
After a lifetime of trips to the area, a Canadian restaurateur has opened a new Italian restaurant in his old vacation spot.
“We found this small, cozy restaurant on this beautiful bohemian street just one block away from the beach,” says owner Giuseppe Marino, who grew up in Sicily, Italy. “We have a lot of Canadian friends and costumers who own condos and houses in the area. That is another reason why Fort Lauderdale was the first city in our rank.”
Focaccia pizza is complimentary, and home-style Italian highlights include snails cooked in white wine reduction, with mushrooms and goat cheese, and served on crostini ($10), Penne alla Vodka ($18), salmon with lemon-butter sauce ($18), chicken breast in mushroom cream sauce ($17) and grilled rib eye ($26) with optional brandy peppercorn sauce ($5).
“Our Linguini al Cartoccio ($19) is cooked and oven baked with baby clams, so it absorbs all the richness and freshness,” Marino says.
Black-and-white photos of Italian celebrities and wine bottle racks decorate white walls. A red banquette punctuates tables with white tablecloths and fresh flowers. Sidewalk seating is available.
Lunch and dinner are served daily, except Sundays.
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