Lovers of fine dining have a new hot spot in Fort Lauderdale to add to their list of favorites.  da Campo Osteria by Todd English has it all - a warm and inviting dining room, an elegant setting overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, and an outstanding menu featuring authentic regional Italian cuisine.

 

Todd English is of course the celebrity chef who changed fine dining in Boston forever when he opened Olives in 1989.  His creative reach now spreads from coast to coast and in between, with Olives restaurants in Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Aspen, Washington, D.C. and Biloxi, as well as the just opened Beso in Los Angeles.  

da Campo opened in Fort Lauderdale in November 2008.  The menu features an array of dishes inspired by the fresh flavors of Tuscany, like Bread Stick Pork Milanese with Olive Caper Relish, Wild Snapper Marsala, and Filet Mignon with Celery Root Polenta, Wild Mushrooms and Gorgonzola.  This week was my first visit to da Campo, and I had to try the Butternut Squash Agnolotti, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. It was amazing, rich and delicate, the butternut squash mixed with parmesan cheese and just a hint of sweetness from bits of almond biscotti.  The Agnolotti provided a smooth finish to the crunchy sweetness of the Beets with Pistachio appetizer.  For a little dining room theatre, da Campo also offers fresh mozzarella pulled table side and served with a wide choice of complements like pickled hot pepperoncini, prosciutto di parma, fig balsamico, olive tapenade and honey spiced walnuts.   And true theatre buffs will also want to request the “tasting table,” a dining bar with a front row view into the open kitchen.

Unfortunately diners at the “tasting table” have their back to the fabulous view of the Intracoastal Waterway, so if you need to keep an eye out on your yacht to make sure the deckhands don’t drink all your prosecco, you might be better off at a regular table.  Luckily most tables have a view of both the kitchen and the Waterway, so you can watch your filet roasting in one direction and your crew marinating in the other.  Yes, you really can have it all!

da Campo Osteria is located in the Il Lugano Luxury Suites Hotel on 3333 Northeast 32^nd Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.  Be sure to book ahead of time, especially on weekends, when the small dining room is usually filled to capacity all night.  The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The view is fabulous all day long, but peak time is sunset, when the western sky turns purple and pink and the entire dining room seems to glow in the twilight.

 

Bon appétit

Rob Lubin