North Italia
754-315-2819
Lunch: Monday-Friday – 11 am-4 pm
Happy Hour M-F, 3-6 pm
Dinner: Sunday-Thursday – 4-10 pm; Friday and Saturday, 4-11 pm
Brunch: Saturday and Sunday – 10 am -4 pm
https://www.northitalia.com/locations/fort-lauderdale/?menu=dinner
By Jane Feehan
Located off Federal Highway a few blocks from Broward
Boulevard, North Italia projects a welcoming ambiance. It’s not a typical Italian
neighborhood eatery, but a chain restaurant with a modern interior with high ceilings, bright lights and evening energy from the bar. Its large menu of Italian dishes caters to
a broad range of American tastes.
Our server was pleasant and attentive. To start, we ordered Italian
bread with olive oil. She quickly delivered about six unappetizing, overly
toasted slices. An Arugula salad, though graciously customized per our request,
tasted fresh but unremarkable. My friends ordered a simple pasta dish with
tomato. I ordered Strozzapreti, a pasta entrée with chicken, mushrooms,
spinach, truffle, pine nuts, and parmesan cream.
I wasn’t expecting how it was delivered. After placing my bowl
in front of me, a kitchen server (not the main server) with untied hair to her
elbows reached across the table to deliver another plate. Her hair settled into
my soupy dish and was dragged across the entire plate of food. I grabbed the
wet locks and returned to her. She apologized. I lost my appetite. My friend signaled
the waitress who ordered a replacement as well as a glass of wine for me. She
brought the wine back and then … dropped it. It dripped over the table and
missed my clothing. Accidents happen.
About the hair mishap. It was more than an accident; it reflects
lax policy. Though the entrée was replaced, I couldn’t bring myself to eat it
the following day. My friends enjoyed their order and said they’d return. I
wasn’t sure about a return visit, but did a few weeks later for another assessment.
I tried pizza when I
returned. Their 12-inch, six-slice creations come with bready but tasty dough. I
ordered two—a Margharita and a Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper). Their Margharita
pizza with fresh basil and cheese was bland. The Cacio with Romano, Mozzarella cheeses, garlic and cracked pepper ranked far above. I may return for that.
North Italia sits close to several apartment communities with hundreds of units. Many residents walk over for Happy Hour 3-6 pm or drive a short distance for takeout. This eatery does a huge takeout business. Parking lies steps from the restaurant, off eighth 8treet, on a vacant lot. They recommend making reservations on weekends. Reasonable prices
Tags: Fort Lauderdale dining, Fort Lauderdale restaurants, Fort Lauderdale Italian restaurants
