Michial Rachaner, general manager of Brio Tuscan Grille, presents an array of specialty dishes, including the dramatically arranged carpaccio (in the forefront). (Bruce R. Bennett/Palm Beach Post)

Brio, the Tuscan restaurant that anchors a tony corner of The Gardens Mall, lives up to its name in a variety of ways. A spirited energy flows throughout the airy 7,500-square-foot space, where shoppers chatter at white-clothed tables as oversized, beautifully presented plates stream out of the kitchen.

The ubiquitous shopping bags tell you this is a mall restaurant – but do not dismiss the place as simply a convenient spot to revive your shop-weary soul. Granted, it is that. But one doesn’t need to have a reason to go to the mall to visit Brio.

There are, however, many reasons to visit Brio itself. Tuscan bar bites (just $2.95 on weekdays). Lunch. Dinner. Sunday brunch.

Chief among my reasons to go there: the beef carpaccio ($12.95). Served with mixed field greens and shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano in a creamy mustard aioli and a sprinkling of capers, this abundant and dramatically presented dish is one of my favorite starters anywhere. I’ve enjoyed it on its own as a light entrée, with a glass of pinot grigio. I’ve shared it and paired it with a nicely spicy Pasta Fra Diavolo ($16.95 with shrimp, $15.95 with chicken), penne tossed in a delicious tomato cream sauce flavored with green onions. And each time the carpaccio has been consistently good and fresh, beef sliced so see-through thin that it melts in your mouth. Read the full story

Wisconsin 6 Cheese will have mozzarella, feta, provolone, cheddar, parmesan and asiago cheeses.

The company’s Wisconsin 6 Cheese pizza marks its first new specialty pizza of the year, the first since the company’s debut last December of a total revamp of its basic pizza recipe, including giving it a new sauce, new cheese combination and flavored curst.

Now Domino’s is building off that with its first new specialty pizza. Wisconsin 6 Cheese will have mozzarella, feta, provolone, cheddar, parmesan and asiago cheeses. Some — but not all — of the cheese will come from Wisconsin. Domino’s usual cheese already comes from Wisconsin, California and other states.

CEO Patrick Doyle said first Domino’s answered concerns about taste and quality and now it’s responding to concerns about ingredients.

A marketing campaign premiering Wednesday night will highlight the ingredients by showing customers in a focus group in what they think is an office. Its walls come down and they realize they’re on a dairy farm, complete with cow and a farmer in Blanchardville, Wis.

The original campaign was designed as an honest, in-your-face effort by Domino’s to concede to customers that yes, it knew its pizza could be improved (it said its sauce was like ketchup, its crust like cardboard), and then told them how it would do it. “Oh Yes We Did” is its tagline.

“It’s a continuation of the campaign, it’s a new take on it, talking about the ingredients, and in this case, talking really about something that is very high quality that we weren’t getting credit for,” Doyle said.

The ad premieres during prime-time shows including “Survivor,” “Law & Order SVU” and “The Whole Truth” across the major networks. The pizzas will be available starting Wednesday night. They’ll be eligible for an ongoing deal of two medium pizzas with two toppings for $5.99 each, but will cost an extra $2 per pizza.

Profits for the company, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., have been rising since the new pizza debuted. Domino’s spent years building its reputation on quick delivery but decided to focus on taste to compete for customers.

The company is also launching an interactive website called “Behind the Pizza” to show people the farms where its ingredients come from, through videos and short stories.

Domino’s reports its third-quarter results next Tuesday.

Shares of Domino’s rose 24 cents to $14.72 in afternoon trading Wednesday.

Larry's Signature Pizza at City Pizza. (Gwendolynne Berry/The Palm Beach Post)

I had lunch recently with a writer who professionally reviews pizza, and he explained that there was no food more universally liked in this culture than a good slice. He’s right – most people can rattle off their pie qualifications like they’re reciting their kids’ names. And City Pizza, at CityPlace, serves a good slice, because it keeps it simple – delicious, flavorful crust (I like the thin kind), fresh toppings (the Veggie Lovers’ olives and mushrooms are to die for) and sauce that’s a good balance of savory with just enough sweetness. You can’t fake good pizza. And City Pizza doesn’t have to.

City Pizza, 632 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach (561) 833-2323

Happy Lasagna Day!

BRIO Tuscan Grille at The Gardens Mall is celebrating “National Lasagna Day” today (Thursday, July 29) by offering its full-size Lasagna Bolognese Al Forno for half price ($8.12 for lunch, $8.47 for dinner) at all of its locations nationwide.

Brio is at 3101 PGA Blvd in Palm Beach Gardens.

Call the restaurant at 561-622-0491 or visit www.brioitalian.com for details or reservations.

Paris in Town bakery in Palm Beach Gardens now offers several Ciao Bella gelato varieties. (Courtesy Paris in Town)

THE SIZZLE

PARIS IN TOWN, the delightful French bakery café that anchors the southeast corner of U.S. 1 and PGA Boulevard, has added a cool, creamy – and Italian – touch to its homey menu of pastry, petit dejéuner and lunch items: Ciao Bella gelato.

"We were attracted to the fact that it has a dense volume of excellent, natural ingredients, making it really rich in flavor – all while using skim milk instead of cream!" says Diane Himmich, who owns the popular café with her husband, Beni.

Her favorite is the hazelnut-flavored gelato. Other flavors include: white pistachio, Tahitian vanilla, Vairhona chocolate, espresso, caramel toffee and peaches and cream. She also serves mango and blood orange sorbets.

The gelatos and sorbets are available for dine-in and to go, at $4.25 for a 4-ounce scoop, $6.25 for two scoops. Also, for $2.65, patrons can add a scoop of vanilla to one of the café’s homemade sweet crepes, tarts or espresso drinks.

Paris in Town, at 11460 U.S. 1 in North Palm Beach, is open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closes at 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more info, call (561) 626-6017 or visit www.ParisInTownCafe. com.

LIMONCELLO ITALIAN GRILL IN NORTH PALM BEACH is hosting a series of Opera Nights in the festive style made popular at Trattoria Delfino in Jupiter.

The series debuts this Sunday night and continues with evening shows on Aug. 15 and Sept. 12. The Opera Night dinner-and-show package is $69 per person and runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Limoncello’s is open nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. at 11603 U.S. 1 in North Palm Beach. Reservations are accepted at (561) 622-7200. The website is limoncello restaurant.com.

HOP ON OVER TO MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL on July 21 to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. In honor of the occasion, guests will receive a free helping of the casual restaurant’s celebrated queso dip. Devoted fans of Moe’s welcoming atmosphere and quirky menu item names can enjoy a 6-ounce cup all day, no purchase necessary.

This special offer is available at all Moe’s locations including those in Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach and Wellington.

Visit www.moes.com to find the location nearest you.

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE has updated several of its menus with new tempting items, like a Chilean sea bass glazed with pineapple-pepper salsa and, in the restaurant’s private boardrooms, a blue cheese tenderloin crostini. Added to the popular "Power Hour" bar menu: smoked salmon pizza and crab cake BLTs. And there are new steaks: a bone-in filet and a double-cut filet.

The new menu is available at Morton’s two Palm Beach County locations, at 777 S. Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach (561-835-9664) and at 5050 Town Center Circle in Boca Raton (561-392-7724). More info at www.mortons.com.

OPENINGS

STEVI B’S PIZZA, 1224 Northlake Blvd., Lake Park, is now open. This is the first of 10 upcoming South Florida locations for Stevi B’s, a national "premium" pizza buffet franchise based in Atlanta.

With an open-kitchen design, granite countertops and decorative stonework throughout its 4,000-square-foot space, the Lake Park restaurant offers a range of specialty pizzas (from Loaded Baked Potato to Chicken Fajita to Mac and Cheese), a salad bar, pasta dishes and dessert items. (There’s also an arcade for the kids.)

The buffet (including drink) is $5.99 for adults and $3.59 for children under 10. Stevi B’s is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Call (561) 845-7997.

Joseph’s Restaurant is at 8418 20th St. in Vero Beach. Photo by Hayley Foote.

VERO BEACH — About a decade ago, we were driving from Rome to Ravello. On the Autostrada, the Italian version of I-95, my husband stopped for gas. I went into the station to get a snack. The aroma of slow-cooked meats and tomato sauce almost knocked me out.

Chefs with white toques in a gas station! We wolfed down “arista al latte” — pork simmered in milk then roasted on a spit and crackling.

Amazing!

Read the full story

Stuart firefighter David Harrow made a guest appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly several days ago as part of the morning show’s “Coast to Coast Firehouse Cook-Off.” And he put his special “Firehouse Penne” up against five other firefighters’ recipes.

“It was a good experience,” says Harrow.

He’s a fourth-generation firefighter, so he learned “a little about cooking around the firehouse,” he says. At home, he says, he grew up around the kitchen.
Read the full story

Waiter Alex Pepaj shaves cheese for customers at Caruso Ristorante in Boca Raton. (Libby Volgyes / Palm Beach Post)

By JOHN TANASYCHUK

The restaurant: Caruso Ristorante, Boca Raton

First impression: Modern Italian cuisine has arrived in Boca Raton. Tradition never overwhelms innovation, so you might see mussels in a wine and curry sauce. "Venice was the spice gateway to Europe," says chef Lillo Teodosi, originally from Rome.

Background: Teodosi and wife Gina Caruso Teodosi sold their Topo Gigio Ristorante in Chicago and moved to Boca last summer. If the name Caruso sounds familiar, that’s because Gina’s grandfather, Renato, once had Caruso restaurants in Fort Lauderdale in Boca.

Ambience: The Teodosis took their time to find the perfect location. The 48-seat dining room has windows on three sides and mirrors and ceramic tiles on just about every surface. Few restaurants have this much character. Business is so good since opening in January that they added the four-table Bar Rouge in an adjoining space. Some guests insist on sitting in this equally charming room. I love the outdoor patio.

Starters: Overstuffed house-made lobster ravioli ($16) is topped with a light prosecco beurre blanc finished with leeks and grape tomatoes. A special on a night we dined was exceptional Tomino del Bergamino ($16), a cheese from Italy’s Aosta Valley. It’s just slightly pungent and served with porcini and trumpet mushrooms and a few rounds of crostini. Calamari Fritti ($11.50) is so lightly fried that you wonder how it was done.

Entree excellence: Every pasta is made authentically, so that Bucatini Amatriciana ($14.50) contains guanciale, the Italian bacon made from hog cheeks, which the chef gets from New York.

Don’t miss Farrottto al Tartufo Nero di Norcia ($19.50), a lush mushroom and Parmesan risotto made from the little known Italian grain farro.

Fettuccine delle Cinque Terre ($18.50) starts with house-made pasta, oversized shrimp and then adds the lightest pesto sauce.

The 10-ounce center-cut filet mignon ($34.50) is first grilled and then sautéed and served in a Barola-mushroom sauce.

The plates looks perfect, with sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes. Saltimbocca all Romana ($24.50) is not the heavy cheesy variety so common in American restaurants.

The chef starts with the most tender cut of veal he can find and uses just enough prosciutto, just enough sage and just enough wine sauce.

Sweet!: Treated with the same respect as the savory side of the menu, both ricotta cheesecake ($7) and tiramisu ($6) are outstanding.

Service: In any other restaurant, I’d have no quibble with service. But it’s just not as tight as what comes out of the kitchen. That said, it’s almost there.

R E V I E W

Caruso Ristorante

Address: Royal Palm Place, 187 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton

Phone: (561) 367-7488

Cuisine: Italian

Cost: Moderate-expensive

Hours: Lunch Monday-Saturday, dinner daily

Reservations: Recommended

Credit cards: All major

Bar: Full service

Sound level: Can be loud

Outside smoking: Yes

For kids: Highchairs, boosters, menu items on request

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

In the spirit of Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary, Pizza Fusion (a ground-breaker in the natural and organic restaurant movement) has launched a nationwide search for the greenest, most eco-friendly pizza recipe in the country with the Pizza Fusion Earth Day Video Contest. Get involved!

This isn’t your typical contest. This contest is an online, 100% paperless competition with earth-friendly prizes, and judged by a panel including Chef Aaron McCargo Jr., star of Food Network’s Big Daddy’s House and Michael Singer of Bon Appétit Magazine. Read the full story

By JOHN TANASYCHUK

If you’ve watched Giada De Laurentiis on TV, you’re familiar with her stress-free style of Italian cooking.

The 40-year-old chef exudes the same kind of friendly optimism on the telephone to promote her just-released fifth cookbook, “Giada At Home: Family Recipes from Italy and California” (Clarkson Potter, $35).

De Laurentiis was born in Rome and raised in Los Angeles, where she lives and records her TV shows, and her book is a collection of classic and modern recipes. All of them have the effortless De Laurentiis imprimatur, which she’ll demonstrate Thursday at two Broward County book signings. Read the full story