*** (out of four stars)
6750 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
561-997-7373
arturosrestaurant.com
Cuisine: Italian
Cost: expensive
Hours: lunch weekdays, dinner daily
Reservations: accepted
Credit cards: AE, DC, D, MC, V
Bar: full service
Sound level: There’s live music and dancing almost every night in the Veranda room, but never too loud for conversation.
Outside smoking: no
For kids: boosters, high chairs, menu items on request
Wheelchair accessible: yes
First impression: Old World, Italian-style fine dining is alive and well.
Background: Open since 1983, this was one of the first Boca Italian restaurants to offer what transplanted New Yorkers had grown used to: imported Italian cheese, quality veal, tuxedo waiters. Original owner Arturo Gismondi, now deceased, ran Arturo’s in Bellmont, N.Y., from 1961 to 1991. Son Vincenzo, daughter-in-law Rosalia and two of their five daughters – Elisa and Giulia – now work at Arturo’s.
Ambience: Nice to know there’s still a place in the dining landscape for what we now only see in the movies. The dining room inside the cavernous 11,000-square-foot building seats 190, but there are banquet rooms and a wine cellar that can expand capacity further.
Starters: Don’t miss the appetizer cart ($12 per person). The server fills your plate with such delicacies as pasta primavera and a house special savory cake of layered crepes filled with vegetables and meats. Classic Spaghetti alla Carbonara ($13/half order) was exceptional. Porcini mushroom and prosciutto-stuffed ravioli ($14/half order) was offered as a special, but it ought to be a regular part of the menu. Spaghetti pescatore ($14/half order) with shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams and mussels is served in a “light” tomato sauce that I found too light.
Entree excellence: Risotto Primavera ($23) with spring vegetables tasted so much better than it was presented, with far too many broccoli stems. Sweetbreads ($28) were done perfectly, lightly battered and sauced with white wine, lemon and capers. Hope that Brasato di manzo ($30) is on the special menu. New York Strip steak is pounded thin and stuffed with prosciutto and provolone. It’s rolled and braised in red wine and tomatoes. Have it with gnocchi. The quality of the veal is outstanding here. But the version with tomato, garlic, basil and oregano ($28) could use a more complex sauce.
Liquid assets: A deep wine list to satisfy the most discerning enthusiast.
Sweet!: Brava to daughter Elisa, a Culinary Institute of America grad, who fills the multi-level wheeled cart that gets pushed around the room. The offerings ($8 each) include tiramisu, strawberry shortcake, creme caramel, fruit tart, ricotta cheese cake and cannoli. She also makes her own gelato ($8).
Service: With so much table-side service, the waiters better be good. They are.
– John Tanasychuk
Contact dining correspondent John Tanasychuk at or write to him in care of Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.
