Fat Clemenza's — Restaurant in Florida

Hello friends, trying a new place here on Miramar Beach, Fat Clemenza's....So, first thing comes to mind is The Godfather. If you are a fan of the movie, look forward to good real Italian food and fresh ingredients, this is the place....so, I put an order in to go. 3 pies and a house salad. My father-in-law wanted to grab a beer at the bar. Cold beer and we were served homemade bread with garlic oil. The bread was rustic, fresh and crunchy. The oil was simple with fresh garlic, paremeasn and parsley. We ordered a vegetarian, chef's meats and a plain cheese....I asked to meet the godfather, Clovis, the owner greeted us at the bar. His business has been for 18 years. Such a nice man, humble and proud of his business. They make their own sauce 80 gallons of homemade deliciousness. He explained all ingredients are fresh. Their dough is made from scratch too. His pizzas were great. The cheese was fresh mozzarella and the sauce. The dough was airy and chewy. Tender to chew and maintained great shape. The meat lovers was good. Pepperoni, ham, salami and sausage were cooked well. The sausage was great, juicy and seasoned well. Clovis said his favorite is the Pepperoni. Next time, a must try. The wood fire oven gave the right flavor with his white oak wood... truly good. One of my favorite parts about our interaction was not only the food but he made you feel like family. Two men, he has never met. He broke bread with. We sampled his garlic knots, the pizza dough with parsley, butter, fresh garlic and parmeasan cheese... they were unreal. My favorite thing to eat was the bolognese sauce... oh my god. It was rustic, tasted like it was cooking for hours. Crushed tomatoes, meaty, and spicy with bite. He gave us a cup to take home. Clovis said to dip the crust in the sauce, "true Italians think the crust is the best part". I'd say... absolutely yes. Now, our total for 3 pizzas, a large salad, 2 beers and tip was $130. You're going to say, that's expensive. I'm going to say you're right but you pay for good and true family service. It was worth every bit.... Again, friends a true rare find in Miramar Beach. Stop and see Clovis and his family, I mean staff lol you won't regret it. Thank you, my friend. Remember friends, enjoy what...

My opinion of the food here is that it is ok, maybe a step above an Olive Garden. Worse, though, it is a very poor value. We started with mussels in a marinara sauce ($17), which we both liked. The portion, though, was on the smaller side. For our entre's, my girlfriend and I both had the seafood linguini in a white sauce (bianco) ($33). Served in an oversized plate containing a small portion of pasta, were: two small shrimp, about three of the smallest clams I've ever been served (these are clams that are discarded, not served), perhaps four tiny pieces of calamari, and three large mussels. Inflation is certainly a factor, but I buy this fish on a regular basis and it in no way justify the price of this dish (consider that I do not purchase clams etc. in large quantities, or at a restaurant supply warehousr where it is even less expensive). Having prepared this dish countless times over the last forty years, the customer is being taken advantage of. You may prefer the sauce this dish came with, but I thought it was just ok. I prefer a lighter sauce that allows for the flavor of the fish to stand out. If you are selling high-quality fish, you want it to be the highlight. Unfortunately, the portion of seafood served with this dish is so small it is not possible to prepare it this way. For desert, we had tiramisu. Again, for my taste (and like everything I've said here, this is just my opinion), it was overly sweet and reminded me of deserts that are bought in bulk and not made on site. I enjoy tiramisu a lot, so I have bought it in grocery stores and other places that do not make it. What we were served was on that level. We also had cappuccino, which I thought was good. Without drinks, including tip, this meal was about $140. It would be very unlikely that we...

So disappointed in this place. Supposed to be a local favorite so we made reservations at 5:30 right after they opened. We were sat at our reserved time. Bread and oil were sub par. The food was flavorless. We had the toasted ravioli and it was not seasoned. The sauce was so bland that came with it and was kind of yuck. The suggested wine tasted like a cheap sparkling wine. The special was beautiful upon seeing it but after eating it I was so disappointed for $47 an entree it should have been the best Grouper ever but it was not. It was simply tasteless. We were served our entree before we had even gotten half way through our appetizer and when I questioned the waitress she just said well they work the ticket as they get them . This is a big issue for me if I am paying $100 plus for a meal I expect it to be paced correctly- no excuses. It has a fine dining atmosphere but it ruined my meal the way it was served- I would say it has potential but my pointers are to order apps then wait to order entree. The place was so loud if you have hearing aids its definitely challenging for your partner. Reservation at 5:30 and was out by 6:05-I know they are trying to turn tables but dang I didn’t even get my wine drank before they were clearing the table. Not a good choice for a relaxing last night.

** I appreciate you responding to my review. We are there several times a year so we will give you...