STUART – In the middle of a strip center on U.S. 1 sits a charming little restaurant with an intriguing menu.
Fantini’s Italian Restaurant, New Haven Style Apizza, has been getting a lot of attention on social media lately, so my husband and I decided to see what all the noise has been about.
The first thing you notice after walking into the dining room is the beautiful bar. The dark wood shelves and wine racks matched with the creamy marble bar top gives an elegant flair. And the wine list continues that vibe.
I expected a couple Italian wines to be offered but what I found was an Oenophilia’s delight.
Some of my favorite wines were on the menu, including Quilt, Daou, Far Niente, Caymus and Villa Antinori. I was curious about the Fantini Montepulciano and chose that.
Knowing he was going to order pizza, my husband went with an Italian beer, Peroni. The menu also offers specialty cocktails.
The food menu was very interesting as well. We opted for an appetizer to begin with, the Mozzarella in Carrozzo. This was a lovely piece of fried whole mozzarella, served atop a pomodoro sauce, topped with tomato jam, fresh arugula and aged balsamic.
The pomodoro is absolutely delicious and appears to be fresh house made sauce. The breading on the cheese was light and crispy and the warm cheese oozed out when cut.
My husband ordered the Pasta Fagiolo “Our Twist.” This was a hearty bowl of thick soup with red kidney beans, ground beef and acini di pepe pasta. I had to tell him that licking the bowl would be rude, it was that good.
I ordered the House Gem Salad and this is one of the most beautiful salads I have ever seen. The colors were vibrant and the herb vinaigrette enhanced the flavors of the vegetables, which included fresh lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, roasted red and yellow beets and thinly sliced radishes. If I had known this salad was so large, I would never have agreed to share a pizza!
Speaking of pizza, or should I say, apizza, this was a very difficult decision. So many pizzas, so little appetite left.
Ultimately, we chose the La Nonna Liberata (Our Grandma Pie). This pizza is cooked New Haven-style, which I have learned means charred crust, not burned. And this particular one features crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, basil, garlic and grated Romano. My husband asked for pepperoni on his half.
Something my husband always looks for in a pepperoni pizza is if the pepperoni slices curl up into little bowls and hold the oil. This one did not disappoint.
This pizza is fresh tasting, but intense and vibrant. The sauce is wonderful and all the ingredients just work together to make a pizza to write home about.
Our server, Josh, was attentive, professional and friendly. He allowed us plenty of time to choose and never made us feel rushed at all.
The menu at Fantini’s offers appetizers, soup, salads, sandwiches, pastas and other entrees as well as the New Haven-style Apizza.
We’re already planning our next visit there but be warned, the portions are large. We ended up taking enough home for three more meals!
Fantini’s is located at 1670 NW Federal Hwy., Stuart. House of operation are Monday through Thursday, 3 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, visit their website at fantinisapizza.com.