|
Italian
eatery delivers delights
BY
CAROL JOSE
TOAST
OF THE COAST
We
like sharing family success stories with you.
Rosa
and Domenico Cerbo hail from a small town just outside
Caserta, Italy. They came to the United States, settled
in Cocoa, and started Domenico's Fine Italian Restaurant
nine years ago. Their daughter helps out in the restaurant
when she is home from college.
Domenico's
is in its own stand-alone building on Fiske Boulevard
in Rockledge. A full liquor bar is available, featuring
Cosmopolitans and martinis, along with a nice list
of wines and beer.
 |
| Domenico
Cerbo, right, and his son, Pasquale, toast at Domenico’s
in Rockledge. Photo by Kathy Hagood, FLORIDA TODAY. |
The
Cerbos blend their culinary talents with visits to Italy
for new ideas. They offer patrons a large and varied menu
of southern Italian favorites.
The
green and white interior of the restaurant is accented
by plants, a fountain and roses. Three sectioned-off
dining areas of booths and tables, with white tablecloths
and candles at dinner, plus a complimentary lemon ice
sorbetto intermezzo, create a cozy and upscale dining
ambience at reasonable prices. The restaurant and restrooms
were spotless on our recent visit.
But
it's the food that makes Domenico's so special. It
was difficult to decide what to try. You could dine
here every night for nearly two months and not have
the same thing twice.
A
fragrant basket of Rosa's homemade warm onion focaccia
bread kept appetites at bay while we perused the menu.
Service was prompt and cheerful.
|
If
you go
|
| Domenico's
is at 3100 S. Fiske Blvd., Rockledge. Call
635-8830. |
|
We
shared an order of crisp and light calamari, served
with a fresh marinara sauce. Then came soup (pasta
e fagioli) followed by a crisp tossed salad, both included
with dinner entrees.
My
spouse declared Rosa's lasagna the best he's ever eaten.
I sampled gnocchi carbonara, homemade potato flour
dumplings bathed in a sauce of sautéed pancetta
and onion with cream, which was perfectly prepared
(dinner, $14.99). Dinner portions are generous, so
bring your appetite.
At
lunch, the Cerbos offer a selection of chicken, seafood
and veal entrees as well as a handful of favorite pasta
choices, priced from $7.99 to $11.99. There are also
pizzas, calzone, stromboli, hot panini (sandwiches),
entrée-size Caesar salads and antipasti at lunch
and dinner.
Grilled
dinner specialties include a 16-ounce chef's cut of
New York strip steak for $19.99; piccola, 12 ounces,
($15.99); pork chops ($16.99) or filet mignon ($22.99).
Among the many other specialties are veal saltimbocca
($18.50) or pollo campagna (country-style chicken sautéed
with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms,
served with pasta, $16.99).
Domenico's
fruta di mare seafood special includes clams, mussels,
shrimp, scallops and calamari in spicy Diablo sauce
at dinner ($21.99).
Mama's
tiramisu and fresh-made cheesecake adorn the dessert
menu at lunch and dinner ($4.49 each). A cappuccino
(hot or iced) is $3.99.
The
wine list offers house wine by the glass and carafe,
or Banfi Sangiovese or Cecchi Orvieto white at $25
a bottle, and more. For special tete-a-tete toasts,
a split of Asti Spumante is $7.99.
Lunch
is served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday;
dinner from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday;
4 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Jose
is a cookbook author and freelance writer who lives
in Melbourne Beach. Contact her at cjose@mindspring.com.
Review © 2004, Cape Publications, Inc. Reprinted
with permission.
|
