Taso Italiano — Restaurant in Florida

Let’s set the story straight about my experience once and for all. I called the restaurant at 5:15 and made a reservation for 5 for my wife’s birthday. We came at 6:30 and got seated right away. We ordered drinks and appetizers and they were great. I ordered chicken franchises something I have ordered in my life 200+ times. When I received my dish I tried to cut a pce with my fork and I couldn’t do it. Tender chicken you should be able to cut with a fork. I used my knife and cut a pce and when I ate it spit it out. A minute later my son asked me to try a pce of his chicken Marsala and that was also tough. My son didn’t want to send it back but I couldn’t eat mine. The waitress came over and I told her the issue with my plate. 20 minutes later my new plate came out and I told the owner I didn’t want it that everyone was done with dinner. I was upset at the situation and was straight forward with the owner. I went to her 10 minutes later and told her that I was sorry for the way I spoke with her. When we were getting ready to leave I told the waitress that I would pay for the 2nd dish I sent back. I would have never thought a good business owner would have put it on the bill but you did and you charged me for the horrible original plate. I only noticed this after I gave my credit card to my son and walked outside to leave. After 20 minutes of waiting I went back inside and asked what was going on. My son told me of the issue with my meal being charged twice and waited another 15 minutes for the 2nd bill to be processed. Once I filled out the 2nd bill I went to the bar area and spoke with the owner. At no time did I raise my voice or swear. The owner listened to my complaint and just said she is sorry. I did all the talking she had nothing to say to me. My wife or myself have never written a review but the 1st time we ate at your establishment and Taso came over and spoke with us we wrote a 5 star review about your resturant and told Taso we would recommend your restaurant to all our friends. We did tell our friends and we spent my wife’s birthday at your place. What I remember most about my 1st visit is how Taso told my wife and myself about 2 bad reviews they got the previous night and how he would like the customer to tell him about the service or bad food before writting a bad review. That’s exactly what I did and my entire party of 5 thought you treated us with disrespect. You did roll your eyes at us. Ask my son, daughter and his girlfriend they all saw it. Now that’s how it happened you can spin it anyway you want have your regulars write...

È spettacolare!

Taso Italiano......It's Spectacular!

Fine food communicates flawlessly. In any language. Each luscious bite a verb, building to an expression of complete satisfaction.

As I strolled across the Piazza del Little Strada (Plaza on Little Road) towards Taso Italiano, hunger as my prevailing noun, I knew not what fooditude lay ahead.

Gabby greeted me, then seated me. Just me. Ahhhhh! Breathe in, the aromas of Italy. Breath out, tempting, but I voiced no protagonist soliloquy in this one character play... I let the ambiance reveal its secrets as it may. Gabby's left handed guidance put me in my right mind, as only a fellow left hander could avow. LOL

With that familiar index finger menu scroll, I hovered digitally over several possible selections. I let my mind's palate mentally meld the ingredients listed to comprehend the chef's blend. After quite a bit of tactile tasting, I settled on a venerable favorite, Veal Parmigiana.

My gaze raised as I spotted Gabby approaching, in a two hands high holding plates pose. Delivering my menu decisions with a flavorful flair, she then left me to begin my mangia journey with her version of a Buon Appetito!

Eyeing the two plates before me, I dug into the pasta portion for my first Taso Italiano taste test. That first bite at a new find is one of those 'drum-roll' moments. Waiting, anticipation building, as the savory bouquet melts in your mouth.

I was rewarded with a perfect al dente spaghetti response. The clinging marinara produced a wonderfully fresh tomatoey acidic bounce that carried the spices bang. Pure and simple.

Moving on to the veal parm, I cut into the pounded flat portion, dragging it through a cheesy marinara mound before raising it to my lips. The aromas of Italy rose to my nose in steamy whiffs. Love at first bite. As I looked around at the happy diners, I knew. This place is the real deal.

Then I met the real deal. The man with his name in print and his reputation at stake, was checking in on his culinary customers. I just had to let him know I was a first-timer and I loved his cuisine. It was a treat to meet Taso.

Speaking of 'stake', no, STEAK. I spied a few luxurious rib-eyes delivered to a few wide-eyed guys. The steaks looked quite tempting! (At a pasta joint!) Taso told me about that tender faire and I pronounced I'll be back, prepare mine med rare!

Everything about my premier visit to Taso Italiano was superb! The place has the pulse of the piazza, the aroma of Roma and the people that make you smile.

È...

Disappointed. It just must not be my night. I guess I had my expectations set too high after reading the reviews. Don't get me wrong, the location is quaint and the staff are really nice - it was the food. It's almost like they cater to old people who've mindlessly been trained not to eat any salt. You can go read about the salt and high blood pressure lie elsewhere. Wait, before we go on about the lack of salt, let's start with the antipasto. Menu says rollatines of imported Italian cured meats, Provolone, Parmesan, etc. If there were any cured meats (I see an "s", so the expectation is a variety.), it was hidden in the rolled up ham. I'm saying nope, nothing like prosciutto, pancetta, bresaola, capocollo, sopressata, culatello or salami on the plate. The quantity of Provolone and Parmesan was practically none existent. I think there were 3 or 4 tiny super thin slices of each. To be fare, it did have a good amount of olives, peppers and other pickled items, but it really did not make up for the missing cured meats. Again, there was a nice roll of ham (maybe a mortadella?) in the center, but it's not what I expected based on the menu. Along with he antipasto, 4 slices of bread and olive oil dip were served for the two of us. The olive oil was light, almost flavorless, the included herbs did not shine though and there was definitely no salt. For the main course, we had shrimp scampi. How can you mess that up? Well, you ruin it by serving shrimp on a bed of pasta swimming in water. Literally, no broth or brined pasta water you cooked the pasta in, just water. No oil, no butter, no wine - just water. Unsalted water. Shrimp were good, but I really wish some of the scampi sauce on the shrimp had made it on to the pasta. If there was any consolation, desert was good. Overall, IMHO - the ambience and the quality of the food served does not justify the prices charged. As always, I give every establishment a second chance. I will be back again, under my own terms. I really hope they do better next time. I decided to go back through the pictures of all the positive reviews. Comparing the images left by positive reviews to our dinner experience, I can say that Taso's is cutting back on their food. Or maybe I was judged? Which would be a shame, because I'm a heavy spender and...