Soul Sicilian Fusion — Restaurant in Clearwater

Another one of those unassuming joints. Walked by it 100 times. Figured it was closed.

Then I asked someone if that place is ever open and if so is it any good? They said yes in fact it is excellent.

I was skeptical but I’ll try anything twice. So gave it a shot. It was busier than I’d remembered the first night. Nice little crowd late at night. And wow - I’m glad I did. FANTASTIC.

Ordered a bottle of Sicilian Syrah (Sicilian restaurant so when in Rome and all), meatballs, octopus and a pasta dish or two. I’ve been here twice and confusing my orders a little.

Incredible! Like actually incredible! No creamy sauces - even when they said cream in the description - they are Sicilian so the translation is a little off here and there.

Pasta is the best I’ve ever had. Really - dead serious. They make it here. The temperature is flawlessly perfect. Al dente but not hard. Amazing sauces altho never heavy and amazing items to accompany.

For instance, tonight I had cacio y Pepe but it was with oversized rigatoni and a pork cheek item he referred to as pancetta. Wasn’t like any pancetta I ever had. Crisp, salty - perfect combo with the big rig, pecorino romano and salt and pepper. The salt from the pork item, the creaminess of the cheese, the bite of the pepper. It was masterful.

Oh forgot - the octopus was the best I ever had, too. Incredibly tender on the inside and somehow had the slightest crisp skin on it. It was so good.

Anyway, if you’re ever on Main Street in Clearwater, I highly recommend this place. You won’t be...

Perhaps my expectations were too high thinking I’d be served authentic Italian cuisine or maybe the word fusion means inauthentic; Italian cuisine fused with store bought?!? I can’t even compare this to homemade Italian because honestly, homemade Italian food is fresh, flavorful, cooked for hours before serving. First we had the mussels which I thought were too fishy; my husband didn’t mind them as they were swimming in a sea of one dimensional broth. Our second course was the truffle oil and mushroom linguine… and that’s exactly what we got; three ingredients 1) boxed noodles, 2) truffle oil, and 3) rubbery mushrooms. We decided to also order a pizza since we had a feeling we weren’t going to be thrilled with our pasta dishes as I did ask if they make their pasta in house and the answer being “None of our pasta is made in house; we bring our noodles in from Italy”… okay, so grocery store bought noodles; got it! Our third course was the four cheese pizza. The crust was pretty good and it was cooked well; I’d order their pizza again. The mistake we made was getting a four cheese pizza with Gorgonzola on it! Yuck! Our mistake. Another reviewer said the food at this restaurant lacks flavor, I whole heartedly agree. If you’re looking for a pizza and a drink, stop in. Fine dining, absolutely not. Italian cuisine, nope… or just save your money and head down the street to Downtown Pizza and order their pizza, homemade lasagna or spaghetti because at least their sauce is homemade and all of their food is absolutely...

We came to Soul Sicilian Fusion for my wife's birthday. Found online, it was well-rated on multiple sources. Upon entering, we noticed a minimalist but nice setup, marred by a musty, maybe moldy odor. Chalking it up to recent bad weather, we asked to sit outside and brushed it off. However, based on deeper checking of reviews, it seems we are not alone in noticing this issue.

We started with the garlic shrimp appetizer. Unfortunately, the shrimp was raw and lacked appropriate seasoning. While they kindly took it back and cooked it properly the second time, the shrimp remained flavorless, suggesting it might have been previously frozen. The garlic lemon sauce, however, was decent.

My wife ordered the black truffle linguine, which turned out to be watery and lacking depth of flavor. I had the ragu, which was also a bit watery. Both dishes were topped with what seemed like powdered, store-bought Parmesan with anti-caking agents. Having visited Italy last year for my wife's birthday, we understand it might be unfair to compare, but this restaurant's food did not live up to its claim of authenticity.

On the positive side, the service was good despite the food, and the staff were nice people. It seemed to be a family business, which added a personal touch to the experience. However, maybe it was a new chef or just an off night, but we will not be returning. To top it off, they charged us...