Restaurant review: Bova Prime / Fort Lauderdale
Important: This article was last updated on April 17, 2009. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale 954-765-1131
thebovaprime.com
Cuisine: Italian/American
Cost: very expensive
Hours: lunch weekdays, dinner daily
Reservations: suggested for weekends
Credit cards: all major
Bar: full service
Sound level: noisier on weekends
Outside smoking: yes
For kids: high chairs
Wheelchair accessible: yes
First impression: Stunningly designed, this visual knock-out seduces from the get go and sets expectations high. But you've come to eat and that makes appreciating the entire experience a bit trickier. The menu overflows with dishes that sound exciting, though most ultimately fail to live up.
Ambience: The black, white and gray color scheme is gorgeous starting from tall calla lilies and a striking chandelier at the front entrance, to the bar that glows with back lighting, right down to the dining room's white glass tables and white-jacketed staff.
Starters: First up, a water list spiking at $140 for a bottle studded with Swarovski crystals. We skipped that and went for three Kobe meatballs in parmesan brodo with Tuscan kale and cannellini beans ($14). Average tasting and disappointingly served lukewarm. And, if you don't mind paying $24 for an appetizer without much wow factor, consider the trio of raw tuna tastings—tuna crudo Italiano, spiced tuna carpaccio and tuna gaufrette.
Entree excellence: Paying $38 for Halibut Oreganata didn't ensure more than a modest performance. The sizable filet with a commendably crisp topping was overcooked, while the shrimp scampi beneath was mushy and unappealing. For $28 we enjoyed nicely prepared slices of filet mignon with good beefy appeal — until we reached the mushroom risotto that was overcooked and lacked the right creamy richness. I have to say the same for the bland $38 signature Sicilian-style, charcoal-grilled langostinos. Better to spend $48 for the 16-ounce dry-aged Delmonico with a nice crust and juicy interior or $110 for a 38-oz. porterhouse built for two.
Sides: Beluga black lentils ($8) were uneventful, as was our server's recommendation of truffle mac and cheese ($8) without much truffle flavor. We also anticipated more from our half order of tagliatelle veal Bolognese ($16) that falls into the category of good but not great.
Service: Diners paying high prices should expect the very best professional service. Aside from not being well-versed in the menu, having to ask for ice refills on a slow night doesn't belong in the same room with a bill that easily tops $200 for two.
Sweet!: Our most successful course included a lovely napoleon made from hazelnut honey crisp pastry layers mortared by cloud light ricotta cheesecake filling ($10). Also good is fire and ice warm chocolate cake partnered with Heath toffee semifreddo and Courvoisier ice cream ($12). Or, dig deeper for a tray of assorted biscotti ($16).
Liquid assets: The spectacular wine collection is an interesting but pricey browse.
— Judith Stocks