Casa D’Angelo – Exquisite Wine & Veal Chops
Ft Lauderdale has some impressive offerings and Angelo Elia, the acclaimed Italian-born chef/restaurateur whose roster of dining establishments includes three Casa D’Angelo restaurants (Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Paradise Island/Bahamas) and only continues to grow. He recently opened Angelo Elia Bakery (full review here) and shall be teaming up with Galaxy Travel & Cruises to host a culinary escape aboard the brand new Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship, Seven Seas Explorer from May 11th-21st, 2017. The Chef will lead guests through various dinners, wine tastings, tours and cooking demonstrations throughout the 10-day trip. This roundtrip cruise from Barcelona will make stops at eight cities along the Mediterranean Sea, including Malta, Portofino and Monte Carlo.
Since the original Casa D’Angelo first opened its doors in 1998, it has remained a must-try, South Florida dining destination and Elia, its talented chef/owner, is one of the most well-respected and successful Italian chefs and restaurateurs in the country. Angelo recently was inducted into Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship 2016 class of the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, the Huizenga Business College’s highest honor.
Relocating to the U.S. as a teenager from Salerno, Italy, Elia worked his way through some of New York’s most prestigious kitchens, including the Four Seasons and the family operated La Cisterna. After moving to South Florida with his wife Denise, Elia served at the helm of Prezzo and H2O before opening his first restaurant, Casa D’Angelo in Fort Lauderdale, in 1998. His passion for “the old country” inspired him to create a menu of traditional Tuscan dishes, using only the finest ingredients and making virtually everything from scratch. The menu, both rustic and refined, immediately made waves with locals, visitors and the media, with the restaurant quickly becoming a homing beacon for foodies seeking the ultimate in Italian fine dining.
Casa D’Angelo feels like a warm Italian home with both cozy indoor and outdoor seating. Everyone is speaking Italian and smiling widely. Before we even dive into the menu let us talk about the glorious vino. The wine menu is exquisite. Places usually have outstanding bottle menus, but fall short in the glass menus. Casa D’Angelo has amazing glass options. I would recommend both the Altesino 2011 – Brunello di Montalcino “Sangiovese Grosso” as well as the Ellman, Amanda 2013 – Russian River “Pinot Noir.” Both were beyond sublime and elevated our meal to the stratosphere.
Casa always has specials so definitely ask your waiter for all of them. Whatever you do you must order the COSTOLETTA DI VITELLO – 16 oz. grilled thick veal chop, grilled vegetables, roasted mushrooms with marsala sauce. This was probably the best Veal Chop of my life! Thick, succulent and cooked to utter perfection. Had the perfect balance of salt and pepper and the mushrooms drenched upon it were a treat. I am usually a stellar sharer, but apparently I was so wooed by this masterpiece that I kept eating away at the juicy part. My date felt it necessary to document my selfishness.
For dessert we had the home baked Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream.
Our waiter was stupendous and Casa D’angelo had a very warm and accommodating energy. Something about the Italian who just know how to do things right.
