La Violetta — Restaurant in Siesta Key

Hold on, how have I not reviewed this place yet.

Bar none best Italian food in the Sarasota area. Not pizza joint ny Italian. This is fine Italian dining at its best.

Anything mushroom here is awesome. Try the soup really if you don't like it it's on me.

Beef Wellington looked unbelievable, at another table, will have to get that next time. Looked like they mastered the cook temp on it.

Last time had the fried squash flour appetizer. Really nice there's stuffed with cheese a little heavier breading then I prefer but really beautifully done.

Also had the ossobuco last time phenomenal really can't go wrong.

Tonight we got the al Italiana flatbread. It's enough to serve a small army but worth getting even for two people is so delicious probably the best prosciutto I've ever had. Not salty at all the texture was beautiful. Definitely worth getting above anything else on the menu it's surprisingly amazing.

We also ordered the spaghetti cooked in parmesan wheel with black truffle. This pasta is the perfect texture. We have a lot of Italian family and can tell you based on the family standard this stuff is perfect. Definitely the best homemade pasta in town. They cook it just right.

We also got short rib ravioli also unbelievable. Nothing is too salty covered with too much cheese or with too much fat. The flavors are allowed to speak for themselves without being overdone with salt or fat. Not that those aren't wonderful but they can be overdone and overpower the subtlety of the delicious meals.

The food here seems to represent that balance that you find in really good Italian food where nothing over speaks the other.

Tiramisu and pentecotta were beautiful. The espresso had a very nice crema and was served in the pre-warmed espresso glass.

We had a bottle of super Tuscan in the $65 range It was beautiful and well balanced like the rest of the meal.

They've expanded in recent years and have more dining room space available. It looks like they're able to accommodate small parties in private dining rooms now.

If you haven't been here you absolutely have to go here. If you don't like it comment tell me I'll be shocked.

We left the meal so excited about how wonderful it was.

Pro tip: make...

This was our first time eating here and we made a reservation for a party of 3 @7:15 mid-week. The diverse and different northern Italian menu is what attracted us. It's not your usual Italian faire here.

Parking was easy, the restaurant is located is what appeared to be a small office building with easy access off Swift Road. We were quickly greeted and seated upon arrival. The warm inviting dining area is spread out in several rooms and areas helping break up the space. There's a well stocked inviting bar that seats 6-8 that we'll need to try in the future. The table spacing was good and the noise level made it easy to have a conversation during dinner. Each table has a small LED light rather than a candle. Seating was comfortable and tableware and linens nice.

We ordered a Manhattan UP and an Old Fashioned for drinks and the Schiacciatina Alla'Italiano flatbread to share as an appetizer. The flatbread had cherry tomatoes, parmigiana, burrata, black truffle and prosciutto and comes out on a impressive 3 foot long board. The designated Italian in our party thought it was the best prosciutto she had ever had had.

For dinner I ordered the Branzino which comes with a side of olive oil and garlic spaghetti. The fish comes out looking like an entire fish but under the side it's been completely deboned and is cover with cherry tomatoes. The fish was delicious and my partner kept stealing the spaghetti!

Both my partners ordered the Tagliatelle Alla Chiantigiana which is a bowl of butter sautéed tagliatelle over beef tenderloin sauce in chianti wine with shaved parmigiana cheese. Both raved about the flavor. All the pasta is made in house it’s probably why they are so good.

No desert for us but they all looked good.

Our server was Monica who did a great job and never rushed us. She answered all our questions on the menu and routinely checked on us.

We all liked this restaurant and the diverse menu as we are always looking for new dining experiences and good food. There's a reason the...

The menu items at La Violetta are not your typical "red sauce" Italian offerings. Instead, it's a varied selection of well prepared dishes focused on fresh pastas and some proteins. There is no full service bar here so your drinking is limited to the nice selection of wines they offer. Appetizer and entree prices are on the high side of what you'll find in Sarasota, but it was a fair tradeoff for the quality of ingredients, preparation and service we received. Kudos to our server Mariano who was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. We ordered two appetizers: Tomino al Tartufo (tomino cheese wrapped in speck and truffle and grilled) and Polvo (grilled octopus) and they were both cooked perfectly and were outstanding. For our entrees we had Tris di Ravioli (fresh raviolis prepared three ways) and La Rosa di Parma (beef tenderloin rolled up with prosciutto and cheese). The raviolis were fresh and well prepared but I wasn't overly pleased with the flavor profile of the fillings and sauces. On the other hand, the beef dish was excellent and very well prepared. Frankly the most disappointing items we ate were the complimentary basket of bread and small eggplant dish that was brought after we sat. I would equate the bread with something that was bought in Publix - not the fine crusty loaf you get in many finer Italian restaurants. In addition, the eggplant caponata while fresh, was super sweet which made it almost inedible. All in with the tip, a $36 bottle of Montepulciano and no dessert, and dinner for two totaled a little shy of $200. La Violetta provided a very fine dining experience that my wife and I would surely return to for...