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Review: Caruso Ristorante in Boca Raton
By John Tanasychuk, Sun Sentinel
Important: This article was last updated on April 22, 2010. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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 Royal Palm Place, 187 SE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton 561-367-7488 Cuisine: Italian Cost: moderate-expensive Hours: lunch Monday-Saturday, dinner daily Reservations: recommended Credit cards: all major Bar: full service Sound level: can be loud Outside smoking: yes For kids: high chairs, boosters, menu items on request Wheelchair accessible: yes  |
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First impression: Modern Italian cuisine has arrived in Boca Raton. Tradition never overwhelms innovation so you might see mussels in a wine and curry sauce. "Venice was the spice gateway to Europe," says chef Lillo Teodosi, originally from Rome.Background: Teodosi and wife Gina Caruso Teodosi sold their Topo Gigio Ristorante in Chicago and moved to Boca last summer. If the name Caruso sounds familiar, that's because Gina's grandfather Renato once had Caruso restaurants in Fort Lauderdale in Boca.
Ambience: The Teodosis took their time to find the perfect location. The 48-seat dining room has windows on three sides and mirrors and ceramic tiles on just about every surface. Few restaurants have this much character. Business is so good since opening in January that they added the four-table Bar Rouge in an adjoining space. Some guests insist on sitting in this equally charming room. I love the outdoor patio.
Starters: Overstuffed house-made lobster ravioli ($16) are topped with a light prosecco beurre blanc finished with leeks and grape tomatoes. A special on a night we dined was exceptional Tomino del Bergamino ($16), a cheese from Italy's Aosta Valley. It's just slightly pungent and served with porcini and trumpet mushrooms and a few rounds of crostini. Calamari Fritti ($11.50) is so lightly fried that you wonder how it was done.
Entree excellence: Every pasta is made authentically, so that Bucatini Amatriciana ($14.50) contains guanciale, the Italian bacon made from hog cheeks, which the chef sources from New York. Don't miss Farrottto al Tartufo Nero di Norcia ($19.50): a lush mushroom and parmesan risotto made from the little known Italian grain farro. Fettuccine delle Cinque Terrre ($18.50) starts with house-made pasta, oversized shrimp and then adds the lightest pesto sauce. The 10-ounce center cut filet mignon ($34.50) is first grilled and then sauteed and served in a Barola-mushroom sauce. The plates looks perfect, with sauteed spinach and roasted potatoes. Saltimbocca all Romana ($24.50) is not the heavy cheesy variety so common in American restaurants. The chef starts with the most tender cut of veal he can find and uses just enough prosciutto, just enough sage and just enough wine sauce.
Sweet!: Treated with the same respect as the savory side of the menu, both ricotta cheesecake ($7) and tiramisu ($6) are outstanding.
Service: In any other restaurant, I'd have no quibble with service. But it's just not as tight as what comes out of the kitchen. That said, it's almost there.
Contact dining correspondent John Tanasychuk at jtanasychuk@sunsentinel.com or write to him in care of Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.