Caffé Toscano — Restaurant in Florida

Caffe Toscano is light years away from chain Italian food. This is the real deal cooked by native Italian Antonio Durante using the best ingredients he can import combined with the freshest ingredients he can find locally. Because of this, you need to understand that real food does take time to cook. Chef Durante elevates food to artistry, so simply plan for this timing when you place your order.

We've enjoyed dining at Caffe Toscano ever since it first opened. Because of the current climate, we were delighted when we discovered Chef Durante reopened after the government-ordered restaurant shutdowns and had transformed his gourmet Italian cuisine exclusively into a gourmet-to-go experience so we could enjoy fine dining at home with the restaurant's curbside pickup. Each week, he rotates longtime customer favorite dishes on the menu so he can keep everything at its freshest. You can get a full gourmet meal to go from appetizer through dessert, and even select the perfect wine to enjoy with it. The food is packed in sustainable brown cartons.

Here are some dishes we ordered recently, with photos:

Burrata Caprese salad The combination of some slightly bitter greens (perhaps arugula) in the salad complements the sweetness of the tomato. This all contrasts with cool, semi-liquid cream center of the ball of burrata cheese, which flows out when the chewy exterior that is similar to fresh mozzarella is cut. Light drizzles of fine olive oil and balsamic vinegar with ribbons of basil over the top set it all off. The bottom line is better greens lead to a better salad.

Olives Who knew olives needed, and could benefit from, preparation? Chef Durante marinates a variety of olives in olive oil and spices. This reduces the saltiness of the olives. When served with cheeses, the different flavors in the spiced oil brings out the nuttiness in the aged Italian cheeses.

Crostini Di Fegatini This smooth house-made chicken liver pate served on toasted bread with olives makes has a richness and depth to it. The savoriness of it pairs well with wine, serving as counterpoint and accentuating the flavor of the drink.

Pappardelle Bolognese This hearty Italian dish will satisfy the meat-lover's soul without them ever knowing they are also getting some vegetables as well. The broad, tender egg noodles soak up the meat-based sauce laced with a subtle addition of fresh tomatoes (because you can see the tomato skins in the sauce). Chef Durante liberally dusts the whole thing with a freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano that's been aged 28 months. It just might be the Italian comfort food equivalent of meatloaf or beef stroganoff.

Ravioli These large, delicate, beautifully folded house-made pasta are filled with a finely chopped filling of spinach and cheese. Then they are dressed simply with diced sage, walnuts, and thin-sliced Italian prosciutto ham, all of which have been crisped by sautéing in hot olive oil Whereas most ravioli usually is drowned in spaghetti sauce, this homemade ravioli needs no such disguise. We've never tasted anything like this ravioli dish. Like any great chef, restaurant owner Antonio Durante has combined different foods and spices to create something incredibly wonderful. Less is more here. This dish invites you to actually taste the food and is a delight to the palate.

Tartufo The thick layer of cocoa powder and crushed hazelnuts encrusts and contrasts with a ball of milky chocolate and liquor-flavored gelatos for this dessert reminiscent of gourmet version of the top of a chocolate nut coated ice cream cone. The dessert has a subtle sweetness to it that doesn't overwhelm the flavors and qualities of its ingredients.

Tiramisu The classic dessert has a wonderfully deep coffee flavor to the soaked cake that contrasts to its creamy fillings when Chef Durante prepares it. It's a light and fluffy ending that not overly sweet, with rich espresso powder forward note from the generous...

Wow is all I can start with. I wasn't looking for a cheap meal, I was seeking a great meal. What a disappointment. Our waitress explained the specials to us. One of them was a prosciutto, cheese and olive platter. I ordered that as an appetizer. What she failed to mention was it was 34 bucks. I in my head figured 20 to 25 bucks. But wait, there is more, she delivered the dinner salads, they were just leafy greens with a dash of dressing, and a dash is an overstatement! On to the entrees..I had the veal and it was flavorful and not bad. It was 30 bucks but, ok I can work with that. We had a 9 year old with us and she had pasta with a red sauce. 14 bucks for some egg noodles with some red juice on them. I tasted them and the comment I made was "doesn't the chef taste his own food?". It was awful and my girlfriend had the lasagna. The review above mentioned Stouffers, Let me tell you Stouffers is a step up!! It was beyond bland. So all in all I feel violated. My check came to 109 bucks without drinks. I will pay 109 for a great meal for 2 adults and a child, but not here...

Always our to go restaurant, until after last night. Went for our anniversary dinner. We had to ask for everything. The "waitress" acted as if she was doing us a favor by waiting on us. We were not acknowledged by anyone after we sat down. We needed to ask for everything, spoon, salt pepper. The waitress came over with a pepper grinder, gave it half a turn, I asked her for more pepper. Was fortunate to get another half turn. The eggplant parmigiana has always been delicious. This visit it was good, but not as tasty as in past visits. We passed on dessert and cappuccino. The chef/owner came over to ask us how we liked the meal. I told him the evening was a hugh disappointment, and explained the above. Antonio apologized, and told us he would make it right when we returned. Sorry, but not going to happen. I would rather go to Olive Garden. We stopped at a small Italian restaurant in Cape Coral on our way home. Enjoyed dessert & cappuccino. At least our anniversary dessert...