Florence Wine and Beer Garden — Restaurant in Mooresville

I have now been to Florence twice, tried several dishes, and can safely say that Merino Mill is goated, Michal Bay has done it again, and Florence is the new best Italian restaurant in Mooresville. Let's begin with the restaurant itself. The design, the physical features. While it's true that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, when the cover is absolutely divine and you've already read three other fabulous books in the series, I think it's safe to make an educated guess. Stepping foot in Florence feels like being transported to Italy in the 1400s (not that I would know what that feels like), with the building's dilapidated 50-foot walls stretching out above you (1). While it presently feels unfinished, it improves each day, and you can tell it's only going to get better from here. With this being said, the OUTSIDE seating area is on a whole other level. The patio overlooks a huge pond lined with colorful pots of various shapes and sizes, and the terrace adjacent to the building... I've no words. Next, the service. There isn't much to say about it, classic Merino Mill service, which, in case you couldn't tell, is exceptional in its own right. As I personally don't pay the quality of the service much attention, I personally can't speak on it extensively, so I'll leave it at that. Finally, the food itself. Somehow, the food manages to outshine the BEAUTIFUL atmosphere, which sets the highest of bars. I tried the chicken parm (2) and gnocchi (3), and both were AMAZING. As Picasso completely changed my mind about tacos (see my Picasso review), Florence did so for chicken parm, which I always despised... until I tried this. The gnocchi, on the other hand, smelled like an Alino's pizza jn pasta form, which was a great sign. It lived up to its aromatic standards (I hope aromatic exists as a word outside of its chemical context), and was the highlight of the night by far. In conclusion, this restaurant is amazing (like all other Merino Mill restaurants), matching the precedent established by Alinos, Barcelona and Picasso before it. 5 stars.

(Wow. I put more effort into this review than I did...

Went to the soft opening of this restaurant. It was amazing. Yes, they had a temporary menu, but they had my all time favorite, Chilean Sea Bass. You have a choice of creamy fettuccine or salad to go with it. I chose the salad. The Sea Bass was cooked to perfection and the arugula salad was the perfect side with the shaved parmesan. My husband had the salmon with arugula salad. I tasted his salmon and was not disappointed. We bought desserts to go. I'm glad we did. They all looked amazingly delicious and making a decision was difficult. We settled on Tiramisu, Chocolate Mouse pie, and cannoli. I took two forkfuls of tiramisu. I could have easily devoured the whole piece, it was that good, but I promised it to my husband. I had the chocolate mouse pie. It was so light and creamy. The perfect dessert to go with the perfect dinner. I can't wait for the official opening October 7th. I look forward to seeing the final menu and tasting more deliciousness. They were putting the finishing touches on the landscaping, but what they had completed was charming. I love the ambiance. When I rate a restaurant the ambiance is equally important as the menu. Florence Wine and Beer Garden has it all. I...

Beautiful building. GLUTEN FREE PEEPS BEWARE. The menu offered gluten free. I wanted clarification before ordering. I asked to speak with the manager because the lady taking the order was Mexican and didnt understand. The manager, who was of another decent I couldn't place, told me that ANY of the pasta dishes offered could be made gluten free except the lasagna. You mean I can have gluten free bolganee? Fettuccine? Gnocchi? She replied yes. I was excited. I ordered Gnocchi...a potato dumpling that would come with gf flour. When my food came out it was PENNE, not gnocchi. So, to clarify....you will be getting penne for ANY gluten free dish. Not stated on the menu and not clarified from anyone who works there. I do not like penne. Didn't order penne. Didn't want penne. *Major language barrier. Not worth $15.50 for a lunch I could have made at home for a few bucks and actually received gluten free gnocchi. Went up to discuss the problem and the manager had left. So the Mexican person then they offered me a gluten...