At Tutto Pizza and Pasta, a good deal is never a one-off. It’s a habit.<\/p>\n
This month, chef and owner Joao “Juca” Oliveira and his wife, Luissell, have introduced a three-course prix fixe meal-deal, now running through September. The special is $25 for lunch, $45 for dinner, with a $5 add-on for a glass of house wine.<\/p>\n
Diners choose an appetizer, a main course and dessert, though unlike a fixed seasonal restaurant week, there’s no single set menu to pick from.<\/p>\n
It’s the kind of offer regulars at the popular Key Biscayne eatery have come to expect. The restaurant’s Tuesday-through-Friday Food happy hour (3 to 6 p.m.). The eatery also caters to its family- and kid-friendly vibes. On Fridays, lunch regulars know to ask about the two burgers, two fries and two beers or sodas for $29. The restaurant has previously run a $29 four-course dinner aimed squarely at seniors.<\/p>\n
For Oliveira, that instinct toward value isn’t a new marketing strategy, it’s closer to how he’s run a kitchen for more than three decades. Long before opening the Key Biscayne location five years after the original Roads-area Tutto Pizza launched in 1994, Oliveira trained in Manhattan kitchens, including as head chef at Bice Restaurant, before landing in Miami. His food philosophy has stayed consistent since: everything made from scratch, nothing off-limits for a customer’s request.<\/p>\n
“Everything is fresh and the word ‘no’ does not exist here,” Oliveira has said of his approach. “I make everything to order. I have clients here who make their own dish and even name it.”<\/p>\n
We had a chance to sit with Chef Juca and learn more about this summer offering.<\/p>\n
IN: Since there’s no set menu like a typical restaurant week, what can diners expect when they sit down for the prix fixe?<\/p>\n
JO:\u00a0Enjoying high-quality food, knowing that we take the time to prepare everything fresh and to order. It feels like a homemade meal, with our own special touches that our customers truly love.<\/p>\n
IN: Why introduce this offer now, during the traditionally slower summer months?<\/p>\n
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Tutto Pizza and Pasta’s Branzino.<\/p>\n
JO:\u00a0This is nothing new for us. For the past 10-years, we have been offering this prix fixe menu every year, and it has always been a great success. That\u2019s why we continue to offer it year after year.<\/p>\n
We really receive many tourists during the summer, and we would like to encourage Key Biscayne residents to enjoy their favorite dishes by offering them great specials.<\/p>\n
IN: Between the happy hour, the senior special, the Friday burger deal and now this prix fixe, value seems to be part of how you run this restaurant. What keeps bringing you back to that idea?<\/p>\n
JO:\u00a0That is part of our DNA, not only to prepare the best recipes and dishes possible but also create value for our customers. For example, Happy Hour, as well as the many other specials we create, are specifically designed with our local customers in mind, to keep them motivated to continue dining with us while enjoying great quality at a good price.<\/p>\n
IN: Is there a dish in this prix fixe you’re especially excited for people to try?<\/p>\n
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Tutto Pizza and Pasta’s Scaloppini Al Limone.<\/p>\n
JO:\u00a0Yes. We recommend our new Veal Scaloppini al Limone, which is a dish we recently launched and has been very well received. And, of course, the Pear Ravioli, which is one of our guests\u2019 favorites and a signature dish in our Family Meal offerings.<\/p>\n
IN: Finally, what message do you have for our Key Biscayne \u2013 and beyond \u2013 readers about visiting Tutto Pizza and Pasta.<\/p>\n
JO: Easy. We want to make dining at Tutto Pizza Pizza & Pasta to be a truly enjoyable experience. The quality and flavor make you feel like you\u2019re enjoying a fresh, delicious, homemade meal prepared just for you. Our customers leave genuinely satisfied, and our goal is to keep them motivated to return by constantly offering new specials and exciting options that keep our customers happy and satisfied.<\/p>\n
I would like to thank everyone for all these years of support. Our flavor and quality have always remained consistent and continue to get even better. That is why we would like to invite everyone who has never visited us before to come and experience Tutto Pizza & Pasta. This is also the reason we created this prix fixe menu, featuring some of the restaurant\u2019s most popular and delicious dishes.<\/p>\n
Tutto Pizza and Pasta is located at 328 Crandon Blvd., Suite 111. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call (305) 361-2224 or visit @tuttopizzapasta<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n