Pane Rustica — Restaurant in Tampa

Having dinner with a dear friend is priceless. Finding a fabulous place to dine that'll match the tales about to be retold is worth its weight in gold. All hugged out and happy, she knew exactly the place. And THIS, is where Pané Rustica comes in.....

Closing the door behind us, the sunset's fiery colors filtered out into the ambiance that is the fine dining experience within. With much enthusiasm, we got a 'V' greeting. That'd be V, the maître d'! Such a great first impression! V selected a perfect booth in an area that was conducive to friends chatting over sumptuous cuisine. Thank you, sir!

Following on the heels of V came Zack. Zack would be our guide on this night of artisanal exploration. We felt an instant bond with this winsome young man. We became much more than newbies, or even regulars. We were friends from another father. Zack became our hospitality tour de force.

Idling over adult libations, we were at peace with the world. Our keen conversations tied the memories of two lifetimes together. Our clock had no hands, for the 'time being'...

Leafing through the Rustica menu was a total taste tempter. So many choices. Ultimately, she wisely chose the fresh appeal of the Caprese Salad. I opted for a Rustica Salad and the Veal Mezzaluna. Let's just say our table talk tamed as the flavors took aim. That sublime feeling of being lulled into a feast worthy fantasy land. The magic of culinary creativity.

Zack made his final curtain call with almost a hint of despair at our pending departing. No surprise that there were some hearty handshakes followed by some hugs. Being the slightly shy type (ahem, LOL), I asked Zack which chef had prepared my mystical mezzaluna? His retort was Tom. Making my way back to the kitchen pass, I summoned 'Tom' over. With a deer-in-the-headlights-what-is-this-guy's-problem look on his face he pensively approached. I deflected his potential distress with two thumbs up and a verbal high five! (I definitely believe in giving kudos in kind).

With a Zack and V entourage in tow, we headed towards the darkness outside the door. Along the way, asking about the owners, I was introduced to the Karen half of Kevin & Karen, owners of Pané Rustica Restaurant & Bakery. Another chance to phrase the praise!

Friends and fine...

This is a great example of a five star restaurant! I've been coming to Pane Rustica since around 2010, and have not once been disappointed, in fact, I've always been very satisfied. Whether I'm here for lunch, dinner, or a snack, they always have a good variety of food that I like. For lunch, I either get a slice or two of pizza or a grilled chicken sandwich. The pizza here is one of the best that I've ever had - it's extremely thin and crispy, and the slices are huge so one of their slices is like the size of three regular slices of pizza. For the grilled chicken sandwich, I ask for no red pepper or greens and get it on rosemary focaccia bread - it's so good! Plus, I get a side of their homemade potato chips, which is also very good. At lunch, you order at the register and then get the food brought to you, but at dinner, it's full table service. At dinner, I usually get an individual pizza or a margherita flatbread, which is even thinner than the pizza. Rather than getting bread and butter or bread and olive oil before the meal at dinner, you get bread and hummus, which is nice and more unique, not to mention that surrounding the hummus is olive oil. For dessert, I usually get a chocolate chip cookie from their baked goods area. I love chocolate chip cookies, and I can say with confidence that Pane Rustica's chocolate chip cookie is one of the best that I've ever had - it's not too chocolatey, and is nice and soft. The gelato and other desserts are good, but nothing beats their chocolate chip cookie. Pane Rustica's atmosphere is very nice, it's modern and rustic at the same time. Don't forget that you can also eat at the tables surrounding the bar. The employees are always friendly and helpful. Overall, Pane Rustica is one of my favorite restaurants in Tampa, and don't just try it for lunch or dinner, try...

First time ordering. Ordered to go online and it was a simple process. I ordered The Roast Beef Sandwich with potatoes and a "spiced aioli" on the side. I am so glad I ordered on the side because that Aioli is a hot mess! It seriously tasted like Salty, Slightly Sour Helman's mayo. The potatoes.... very bland in desperate need of seasoning. Starting to see the pattern of seasoning and/or spice is very lacking.

Now to the sandwich! OMG the size literally is big enough for two people or meals! There was a super generous portion of Roast Beef and also of Provolone. I got it on the Tomato Focaccia and that WAS flavorful! It honestly along with the portion size and price value is the reason I will try here again. I was able to salvage the lack of Aioli with some red wine vinegar phew!

Actual in house service was not great. Ignored at the bar and ignored at the front counter. A girl finally walked over and I was out the door with my food. Forgivable since the place was busy but one would think you would have someone dedicated to that station at lunch.

One thing I do know is that ALL of my orders will be to go... the place has ZERO sound buffering and when I say LOUD... PHEW! Everyone was trying to overtalk to try and hear and it was insane! I could not be in there to have a relaxing meal.

Overall, the value is amazing, the base sandwich also amazing! I would give today a B rating and I WILL try again because I have heard a lot of positives and they've been around 25 years. They must do most things right. Every restaurant has it's...