If there is truth in the old saying, "good things come in small packages," then it most certainly applies to the newly opened La Nuova Cucina, a little gem of a restaurant nestled into a strip of restaurants and shops on Sand Lake Road. Brazilian Chef Paulo Baron owns several Italian restaurants in Sao Apollo, Brazil. By locating La Nuova Cucina here in Orlando, Chef Baron brings his vision of a menu featuring authentic Italian cuisine with a unique Brazilian touch. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner.
AMBIANCE:
Unlike many of the large, sometimes noisy, restaurants located along Sand Lake Road's Restaurant Row, La Nouva Cucina's elegant but cozy dining room seats just 50 people. With its hardwood floors, exposed brick wall and dark wood tables accented with red placemats and chargers, the warm interior creates an intimate setting in which to enjoy pleasant conversation and a distinctive meal.
MENU:
The creative menu is a blend of traditional Italian recipes and modern cuisine. A wide selection of offerings include salads, appetizers, pastas, risottos. meat, poultry, and seafood. Some of the most popular meal openers include the pumpkin soup grilled shrimp with curry and the fried parmigiano parsley calamari and octopus carpaccio. Among the featured entrees are the filet mignon with mixed mushrooms and gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, lamb shanks with mascarpone and zucchini risotto and the lasagna Bolognese. Offerings such as Tiramisu and red wine pear with pistachio ice cream make dessert seem like a necessary conclusion to a fine meal. The wine menu includes selections of domestic, Argentinean and Italian wines.
GOOD TO KNOW:
Chef Baroni enjoys offering "amuse bouche", special little tastes that are delivered throughout the meal. Maybe it will be a parmesan "lollipop" or a bite of tomato sorbet. No matter what is offered, it's always fun when an unexpected tasty surprise appears at the table.