Pappa Piccolo Pizzeria is a “red sauce–mom & pop” Italian joint in Miami.

This one is real simple…Pappa Piccolo Pizzeria’s food is terrific. The joint’s got the full-boat of pizzas, pastas, subs, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. I only got one bitch with Pappa Piccolo, it’s not open on Sunday.

The other day, I did dinner…pizza, veal parmigiana, lobster ravioli, snapper francaise, fettuccini alfredo. Do what you’d like, but I’m telling you—that as far as “red sauce–mom & pop” Italian joints go, Pappa Piccolo is right up there with best of breed. Everything I “had” was delicious and the garlic bread that this joint makes–is alone- worth the price of admission.

Pappa Piccolo Pizzeria is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! Yeah, I know it’s from Godfather Part III…

Anyway, got a spanking-brand new Boca Raton “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint for you…PieZano’s Pizza & Pasta (talk about a play on words!)—owned and operated by Anthony a real Italian guy from Brooklyn…and, I can vouch for his “authenticity” as I know his “original” Brooklyn-Ditmas Avenue pizza joint…I lived in the Ditmas Park area for over 30 years.

I tried PieZano’s out for dinner last night—first let me tell you, its got the coolest wallpaper/paint job that you will ever see. Not sure, how it works, but it-that being the wallpaper/paint job-throws off something like a 3D effect—I’m telling you, you’ll swear that the painted guys are sitting right there in the restaurant—real cool…the wallpaper/paint job alone makes Pie Zano’s worth a visit.

At this stage of this game, you can check menu/prices at www.piezanosboca.com.

PieZano’s has the full-boat of appetizers, salads, brick-oven pizzas, hot/cold subs, panini, wraps, pastas, meat/chicken/seafood dishes, gelato, flat screen tvs—now let’s talk food, “tried” fried zucchini and fried mozzarella sticks (nothing out of the ordinary), large 16″ plain pizza (delicious), chicken parm sub (hey Anthony, the cutlet was delicious, as for the bread-look for a new supplier, it was way too soft), meatball sub (hey Anthony, loved the meatballs, as for the bread–see chicken parm sub comment)), gnocchi alla vodka (delicious), chicken vesuvio (delicious), calamari marinara (delicious), garlic knots (delicious).

If I got my facts straight, Pie Zano’s has only been open about a month. Give or take a few things that I would change, like the sub-rolls and the mozzarella/zucchini stuff—the joint is off to a real nice start. As for service and prices, very pleasant folks run the joint– you guys are gonna love Anthony’s Brooklyn accent and energy…very reasonable prices.

Let me sum PieZano’s up this way…I’ll be back!

PieZano’s is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

For our purposes, let’s call Portobello Cucina Italiana a “semi-upsacle” Italian joint. When you check Portobello’s site www.portobellojupiter.com in addition to menu/prices you’ll find pictures/video so you’ll know- exactly what you are getting yourself into.

I recently tried Portobello for dinner and I gotta tell you, whoever owns this joint, sure knows what he-she-they is-are doing. Portobello is a great looking restaurant, the service was professional/attentive, the food was dynamite and the prices extremely reasonable. No! I’m not a brother or brother-in-law…really, this restaurant has all of its ducks in a row.

Recently tried Portobello out for dinner…”sampled”–fried calamari/zucchini, gnocchi marinara, chicken marsala, veal parmigiana, shrimp francese, ricotta cheesecake. Like I said a few seconds ago, the food was dynamite. A cursory review of Jeff Eats’ site should tell you, that eating Italian food is one of my favorite dining-things to do. Trust me on this one, for basically the same price—Portobello’s food & ambiance run absolute circles around most of the “mom & pop” and other Italian joints that dot the South Florida landscape.

I loved Portobello’s.

Portobello’s is open 7 days a week 5pm-10pm.

Got a really good Italian joint for you to try…Luca Bella in Aventura. Although its only been open for a few months, Luca Bella has developed a huge following, so you might want to think “reservations” before you go.

Rather than going into detail, Luca Bella is the brainchild of Mickey Maltese who in a former-life-was a partner in Matteo’s located in Hallandale Beach. Just so you know, I’ve eaten by Mickey for years and in his Matteo’s days- Mickey knew how to make great food and operate a top-notch restaurant.

You regular readers should know by now, that Matteo’s (with Florida locations in Boca Raton, Jupiter, Orlando and Hallandale Beach) is one of my favorite South Florida Italian restaurants…well, Mickey has now opened a new joint with a menu similar to that of Matteo’s ‘BUT’ with enough signature dishes, so you Matteo’s fans won’t think that you walked into a clone-joint…and Mickey still knows how to make great food and operate a top-notch restaurant.

Last night I ate dinner at Luca Bella. The meal for four consisted of chopped salad, fried zucchini, baked clams, penne alla vodka, chicken cacciatore, veal valdostana, burnt style-string beans/broccoli, tartufo. There really isn’t too much to say, other than every dish was delicious, the portions were huge, the service was just right, the prices extremely reasonable.

At this stage of the review, you guys can check www.lucabella.net for menu/prices/photos.

I really enjoyed Luca Bella.

Luca Bella is open for lunch Monday-Friday 11:30am-3:30pm, and for dinner Monday-Thursday 5pm-11pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-midnight, Sunday 4pm-10pm.

Let’s play a game…eat at a new restaurant before Jeff Eats does.

Yesterday, Frank & Dino’s a casual-moderatley priced “Southern Italian” joint opened its doors for business. Yeah, I know–you thought-they were dead.

Anyway, this restaurant is the latest “project” of South Florida restauranteur extraordinare Dennis Max–so, if past performance means anything, this one has the potential to be a huge winner. You can check menu/prices at www.frankanddinos.com. You can also Google–Dennis Max and The Max Group for info if you are so inclined.

So…just maybe, you guys would like to get a jump on Jeff Eats and almost everybody else in South Florida and try this one out. By the way Max is also working on another Italian joint, Assaggio del Forno-for Boca Raton, but that’s a whole-other story for another day.

You know that I like to keep you guys-up to date on all kinds of stuff related to food and the food industry.

When you get a chance, check-out Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint www.unclemaddios.com.

Real simple pizza-franchise concept…make your own pizzas. You go to the joint, there is a “huge” selection of pizza toppings etc.—the guy/gal behind the counter puts the pizza “together” for you–and it gets delivered to your table within something like 6 minutes.

Trust me on this one, you will soon see these “make your own” pizza joints popping up all over South Florida, not to mention all over the United States. They sort of remind me of the Yogurt by the ounce joints.

Uncle Maddio’s is just one player in this “new” business segment. There are a number of guys-getting into this business, including publiclly traded Pizza Inn.

For right now–as far as I know, there aren’t any Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joints in South Florida. Betcha a buck, that sometime within the next 6 months, a version-of-this-concept will be in your neighborhood.

Just thought you guys would enjoy hearing about what the food industry is cooking up for you.

Back on July 7, 2008 I did a “review” on a terrific Italian restaurant—Pellegrino’s Ristorante located in Deerfield. Here’s the original story…

Pellegrino’s Ristorante (Deerfield Beach)
Posted on July 7th, 2008 · Deerfield Beach Italian ·
***** Pellegrino’s Ristorante, 847 SE 8th Avenue, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441 (954) 418-0611.

Pellegrino’s Ristorante is a white table cloth-hole in the wall Italian joint located in a non-descript Deerfield Beach strip shopping center. This is one of the best Italian Restaurants in South Florida, so make sure that your GPS system is working…so that you can find it.

Take a look at Pellegrino’s website at www.pellegrinosrestaurant.com for menu details. Also take a look at the joint’s history and picture gallery. In the “history” you will find that Bobby Pellegrino (Pellegrino’s owner) is a nephew of the owners of Harlem’s world-famous Rao’s Restaurant. Folks who have eaten at Rao’s have told me that the Pellegrino’s and Rao’s food is very similar as is the total dining decor/ambiance. All I can tell you (having never eaten at Rao’s) is that Pellegrino’s sets the right mood, that being that you are eating at a family run NYC Italian joint circa 1950 by having an old juke box playing doo wop records when you enter the joint.

I have eaten in Pellegrino’s exactly 4 times. The food is absolutely terrific… delicious veal chop valdostano, veal parmigiana, shrimp scampi, zuppa di pesce.

Like I said before, this joint is a hole-in-the-wall, so you are going to need a reservation. As for pricing, this joint ain’t cheap…but “you get what you pay for.”

Pellegrino’s is open Tuesday-Sunday for dinner…closed on Monday.
————

Let me update this one for you guys.

Pellegrino’s which originally opened in Deerfield in 1999 closed in April, 2010. About a week ago-the joint re-opened finding a new home in Boca Raton. Last night, I gave the “Boca” Pellegrino’s a try. The only difference between the “versions” is locations and the fact that the Boca spot is a drop larger and has a nice sized outdoor patio for dining. The food like before- was delicious, the service was good, the prices are still a “drop” on the high side–but nothing that’s gonna kill anyone or chase you away. The old juke box wasn’t there, but Bobby Pellegrino assuerd me that in coming days it was going to be installed.

Let me sum this one up for you, Pellegrino’s is one of the best Italian restaurants in South Florida.

Like I said a few seconds ago, Pellegrino’s has only been open a week or so (as a matter of fact, its website www.pellegrinosofboca.com is still basically under-construction)—for sure it’s got a few bugs to workout, but the bet here–there will soon be lines trying to get in.

Pellegrino’s is open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner, closed on Monday.

Marcella’s Restaurant & Pizzeria…”mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint, located in Pembroke Pines.

Just so you know, I “originally” talked about this joint way back on July 13, 2009. Hadn’t been back since then. Got good news for you guys and “them.” I liked Marcella’s in 2009…I still like Marcella’s in 2011-and actually think that the food is even better than it was 2- years ago. Then again, I’m getting up there in years, so maybe…Anyway, Marcella’s is a real good one.

You “know” the drill here—pizzas, calzones, subs, entrees come with soup/or salad, garlic rolls, pasta side. Tee shirts/shorts/sneakers-flip flops-sandals— dress of the day.

Let me make this a quickie for you…if you are looking for reasonably priced really good red-sauce stuff, Marcella’s will definitely get the job done for you. A recent outing had me trying–pizza, meat lasagna, veal parmigiana, veal marsala, clams oregenata, spaghetti & meatballs—everything was A-OK.

To sum it up, I enjoyed Marcella’s…everything- shall we say “sampled”- was as good if not better than most the stuff served at the 100,000,000+ “mom & pop” red sauce joints that seemingly inhabit every strip center in South Florida.

Marcella’s is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday noon-10pm.

Got a real good “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint for you…Ruby’s-located in Deerfield Beach. You can check menu/prices/photos at www.rubyspizza.com. For those looking for a “deal”–and who isn’t?—the site has a handful of coupons. There is also an $8.75 gets you $25 “offer” at www.southfloridadines.com.

Now, starting with the premises that Ruby’s isn’t trying to cure cancer-or bring peace to the middle-east…I must-say, that Ruby’s absolutely killed it…I loved the thin crust/sweet sauce pizza, veal parmigiana, caesar salad/grilled chicken, snapper francaise, fettucine alfredo. On the decor front, handful of tables…and a guy making pizzas at the “standard” pizza joint counter/oven. If you wear anything fancier than a tee shirt/shorts/flip flops-sneakers-crocs-sandals, you will be over dressed.

To be perfectly honest with you, over the past few years, I’ve eaten in so many “mom & pop” Italian joints, that it’s often hard to remember the specifics about particular restaurants…lucky for me, I can read Jeff Eats, check my handwritten notes and “recall” what-was-what. To get to the point, this Ruby’s joint is one that I “think” I will remember down the road. Now, trust me here, the food is heads and shoulders better than most of its brethern. Anyway, if I do forget, I’ll just re-read this writeup and be set.

If “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joints are your game, they are mine…you will love Ruby’s.

Ruby’s is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday 11:30am-11pm, Saturday 11:30am-10pm, Sunday noon-9pm.

Here’s an early birthday present for you guys…Camilli’s Pizza in Lake Park. The joint makes one of the best thin crusted-sweet sauce pizzas going. Absolutely nothing fancy here, order/pickup at counter…Camilli’s also has salads, subs and pastas—but the game here is PIZZA. From what I understand, the joint has been around for something like 40 years and has an enormous-multi generational-fan base. Just for the record, in addition to the pizza I “did” a meatball sub and chicken parm sub—let’s call them good, but not even close to being in the same league as the pizza.

Like all terrific hole-in-the-wall pizza joints, its open 7 days a week for lunch/dinner/takeout.