From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Angelo's Pizza & Pasta / Fort Lauderdale

By JUDITH STOCKS
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

April 11 2008

Can't get a seat in this dining room? Not surprising considering the popular cafe resides in a sliver of a storefront with just 12 tables plus a few more outside.

Mediterranean stonework and attractive sconces give it an uptown neighborhood feel thanks to a TV monitor loud enough to accommodate the entire dining room.

The semi-open kitchen is where homemade Italian food emerges — starting with very good garlic rolls.

Rolls that stand tall and proud, crowded in a generous grouping, top knots dusted with flurries of parmesan.

Grab one and break open its crusty exterior to expose puffs of steam — that's how fresh they are. Now, swoosh them through the olive oil, garlic and parsley mixture pooling at the bottom, but be careful, they're addictive and you're not even on the first course yet.

That might be an order of enticingly fresh clams oreganato priced at $9.95 for about nine plump clams — whole, not chopped — capped with seasoned crumbs. The kitchen does a commendable job, delivering crisp crumbs and clams that aren't rubbery.

Or, try the built-for-two calamari misto ($9.50), presented in a shallow bread bowl with a side of good Italian vinaigrette. Bowl residents include attractively arranged tomatoes, cukes, onions, olives, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini and loads of tender calamari on a small base of lettuce. The pretty composition arrives lightly dressed, sprinkled with parmesan. The only adornment it needs is a squeeze from fresh lemon wedges alongside.

Spooning into big wide bowls of minestrone or pasta fagioli is as easy as ordering an entree that includes them. (Sub out a nice fresh dinner salad if you prefer). The minestrone is tomato based, loaded with fresh veggies, garbanzos and a few red beans, while the pasta fagioli with white beans and ditallini pasta is hearty enough to fill you up.

I admire the robust, full flavors the kitchen puts into its sauces, but some are so thick they're more like gravy. If you're a proponent of light and delicate, most of these won't be your cup of tea.

We discovered it first in chicken francese ($13.50), an otherwise skilled version of battered, expertly sauteed boneless chicken breast in dense, vibrant, lemon sauce, then again in the ultra-thick creamy carbonara ($12.95).

That wasn't the case with veal and eggplant ($14.50), both breaded, but not overly so. The tender veal, layered with horizontally sliced eggplant, wears a crown of mozzarella and the house red sauce, which tastes better in this dish than it does on sides of pasta because the pasta is water-logged from not being drained well.

Other memories are made with $14.95 worth of shrimp scampi adorned with seven shrimp, so gorgeously meaty they're more like lobster, positioned atop a mighty mound of linguine. The sauce is fragrant without reeking of garlic and sticks to the pasta.

For less formal eating, count on good things popped piping hot from the ovens (Sicilian or thin-crusted pies, strombolis and calzones), plus hot and cold subs. The wallet-friendly range starts at $6.50 for sandwiches up to $22.95 for a big honker of a Sicilian pie with five toppings.

Service can use tightening and I'd skip the usual tiramisu and cannoli routine and head for a well-made cappuccino ($3.95) you can stir with a rock candy swizzle stick.

Write to dining correspondent Judith Stocks at judithstocksreviews@yahoo.com or in care of the Sun-Sentinel.

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Cuisine: Italian

1923 Cordova Road,

Fort Lauderdale

954-832-9669

Cost: inexpensive

Credit cards: all cards

Hours: lunch, dinner daily

Reservations: accepted for five and more

Bar: beer, wine

Sound level: moderate

Smoking: outdoors

Children's

facilities: boosters, high chairs

Wheelchair accessible: yes