wellington | table
New Piatto Bravo Restaurant Offers A Creative Taste Of Italy
Authentic Italian BY MELANIE KOPACZ
Piatto Bravo is a love story blended with a deep passion for traditional Italian food. Visions of creative and authentic dishes have come to life at the new restaurant, located on State Road 7 in the Village Green Center near Trader Joe’s. “The food is authentic Italian, so our menu goes all the way from Northern Italy to Southern Italy.We cover the entire Italian concept,” owner Dominic Dipino explained. Dipino and his wife, Chef Maria Amelia Baez, have a background steeped in Italian cuisine. While they grew up in the Dominican Republic, their grandparents, who hail from Italy, instilled upon them a passion for cooking and baking, with inspiration also coming from their parents. “We share the same passion, and we take it personally,” Dipino said. Using only the freshest authentic Italian ingredients, Baez said it allows her to make innovative creations with hearty flavors. “It’s very homey. When I thought of the menu, I thought of comfort food — what I liked having with my family at home. The Bolognese sauce, cheese ravioli. I love using Parmesan,” said Baez, who puts her own spin on the cheeses she uses. “I make my own blend of cheese. We grate different cheeses and make the blend here.” The state-of-the-art wood-burning oven is the centerpiece of it all. Direct from Modena, Italy, it cooks pizzas evenly on a rotating floor at 600 degrees. “We only work with wood. The perfect temperature is 600 for pizza. It
(Above) Linguine Alle Vongole features fresh clams and cherry tomatoes cooked in a garlic, white wine and clam reduction. (Below) Pizza Italia features pomodoro, mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, Parmesan and a balsamic glaze.
The Coconut Pie includes tender baked coconut pie with vanilla ice cream and caramelized walnuts.
cooks the pizza one hundred percent,” Dipino said.“We have pizzas with dates, goat cheese, caramelized onions.” The pizzas come with a wide range of ingredients, from the traditional to the unique, like the Argentina pizza, which is topped with pomodoro, moz-
zarella, skirt steak and chimichurri aioli. Prices range from $10 to $16. Guests can also create their own, first choosing pizza or calzone, then adding from an array of toppings that include seven cheeses to five different meats, including imported Italian sausage and wellington the magazine | february 2020 113