Glitz outshines fare at Mezzanotte

By CHRIS SHERMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 22, 2001

Centro Ybor's latest dining spot has hip decor and a dance-all-night atmosphere, but the food doesn't have the same cool.

TAMPA -- The basic recipe for Centro Ybor and St. Petersburg's BayWalk calls for one Dish, one clever burger place, one upstairs outdoor drinkery across from Muvico, one tropically urban tavern and one upscale Italian restaurant. Most of the ingredients are imported, usually from South Florida.

Filling the last category for Centro Ybor is Mezzanotte, one of the most eagerly awaited imports, for it hails from the heart of the Glitz Coast. From South Beach to Acapulco, seven Mezzanottes have mixed Italian food and Latin nightlife into a sexy late-night cocktail that has patrons dancing on the tables. Call it a bella Bellini, good looking and sparkling too.

Seems perfect for Ybor, which has been both a hardworking neighborhood for Cuban, Spanish and Italian families and a hard-playing wet zone for an entire metropolis. Yet it has never had the sleek style and hot fashion of modern Miami.

Remarkably Mezzanotte has already given Ybor nights a jolt of adult sophistication, or at least a lot of black leather -- a vibrant, fashionable bar crowd, even celebrities, that stands out from the mall mobs and rip-roaring partiers. With 200 seats inside, a patio almost as big and valet parking, this can be quite a scene.

At 9 p.m., Mezzanotte's social engineers pump up the volume on the music. In the later hours on weekends, deejays take over and waiters assist a few brave souls up onto the tabletops.

But while the menu is gilded with fresh mozzarella, artichokes and arugula, Mezzanotte has been less successful in delivering Italian food of equivalent flash.

In some things, actually anything with the house-made mozzarella, the kitchen sets a new standard: the cheese is moist, creamy and so fresh you can smell the paddle. Can't say the same for fresh artichokes. Much as I loved them in Italy, the stems and bottoms used in many Mezzanotte dishes are too soft and flavorless.

Pastas are traditional with more pasta than sauce, and a bit more varied than usual, so get a half order as a side or an early course.

Best so far is penne mare monti, where the quills are tossed with shrimp, mushrooms and a subtle tomato sauce; easy eating yet substantial. Indeed, the flavors were more interesting than the richer agnolotti stuffed with spinach and ricotta.

Among starters, soups are rich. A lunchtime lentil vegetable with tubetti in a creamy tomato sauce was as robust as the zuppa di nettuno loaded with fish and angel hair.

On warmer days, best choice is a salad of brightly marinated mushrooms with shaved Parmesan (I'd like to see some of that cheese shaved or grated at the table, instead of bowls of grated). There's also a good spectrum of carpaccio, slices of cured fish or beef with various garnishes.

In heavier entrees, Mezzanotte makes a full-bodied zuppa di pesce and woodsy mushroom marsala sauce for veal scaloppine, but too often it merely tops with expensive garnish. I had hoped arugula, endive and sundried tomatoes with swordfish would be grilled or sauteed. Instead they were cold, raw and plopped on top of what was by itself a handsome, gold-encrusted piece of fish. Later, waiters described similar dishes accurately as having "arugula salad" on top.

Trimmings disappointed more: Bread ranged from good to stale, wines by the glass were scant in choice and pour, San Pellegrino available only in liter bottles, and vegetables minimal. Even desserts were unexciting, the best of them an un-Italian apple tart with fresh apples.

Service, together with the glistening interior and glossy crowd, could make up for these failings. The polish, humor and smooth touch of debonair maitre d's and bustling hosts bring us into contact with hip glad-handing comfortable in a new millennium.

Unfortunately, service in the rest of the house started out chaotic and hasn't improved. On one visit, desserts took more than 15 minutes; on another, entrees ordered after the starters arrived while the first course was on the table. During a weekday lunch when the restaurant was barely a quarter full, mere soups and salads took half an hour.

That meal collapsed further when a dish of shrimp, calamari and baby peas ordered under the broad heading "Salads -- Main Course" turned out to be a hot entree, not a clever salad. Then I found a broken rubber band amid arugula on my carpaccio. I informed the server, without demanding recompense.

I'm happy to report Mezzanotte passed the second, crucial test that comes after such a failing. The server said the manager said the debris was unacceptable and, in light of our other problems, lunch was on them.

Gracious and professional response, and for that, I will give them another try, and so should you.

We'd love to have an Italian restaurant worth dancing the night away (whether salsa, Sinatra or even disco). But that requires food and service as hip and smooth as the music, the decor and the greeting at the door.

Mezzanotte

• 1600 E Eighth Ave., Tampa; (813) 242-4885
• Hours: 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Saturday Reservations: Recommended
• Prices: Lunch, $7.50 to $10.50; dinner entrees, $9.95 to $19.95.
• Special features: Full bar, smoking section provided, deejay on weekends, valet parking, outdoor seating.

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