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Second Helping
By CHRIS SHERMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 12, 2001
Alfano's Restaurant
[Times photo: Amber Tenille Woolfolk]
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Although the building is only 4 years old, the interior is as rococo as a Venetian palazzo and the dining is vintage Alfano's: traditional Italian on the big-bucks side, with doting service and an exceptional wine cellar.
Frank and Linda Alfano's restaurant has been a fixture in Belleair and Largo for almost 20 years for quiet, nice-linen lunches, winemaker dinners and other celebratory meals. Still, they're always open to change: They plan to remake the bar area into a more contemporary trattoria.
Main rooms remain in the Continental vein, but graciously and genuinely so. Menu's long on seafood and veal dishes, but best choices may be hefty chops and pastas with fresh sauces, as simple as sauteed spinach, tomato and Gorgonzola. Most exquisite taste is the ricotta cheese pie.
The true stand-out, however, is the 375-label wine list, a winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence three years in a row. Its natural depth is in Italians and goes well beyond the big-shot Tuscans to include a big range of amarones and Barolos. The choice of California reds is wider and as prestigious, with a range of vintages in Opus One, Dominus, Burgess and others, as well as magnums and jeroboams for big-deal drinking. Mark-ups are low, which means there are Burgundies for $50 or less, '97 cabs for $25 to $40 and ample choices for less than $20.
Service is knowledgeable and solicitous, and not just during the meal. When we missed the notation of an automatic 15 percent gratuity and provided a full tip in addition, our waiter pointed out the error rather than pocket it. That kind of hospitality builds repeat business. 1702 Clearwater Largo Road, Clearwater; (727) 584-2125
-- CHRIS SHERMAN, Times food critic
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