In The Press

TAMPA - Italians have a saying: "Una cena senza vino e come una giornata senza sole". Translated, it means, "dinner without wine is like a day without sun.' 

The spirit of that aphorism is alive and well in south Tampa, where Vino E Pasta (simply "wine and pasta') features a list of about 20 white and red wines to serve with its dozen pastas. 
 
Spartaco Giolito, who also brought Spartaco Trattoria to nearby Mac Dill Avenue, knows how to create warm, intimate dining spots. He and Eugenio "Luis' Zamora opened this delight in September. 
 
Don't expect a lot of pampering by sommeliers or maitre d's. You won't find either at this down-home, casual place, which seats about 45 diners.

In Vino's one-room dining area, we noticed a table of four women enjoying a girls' night out, another table with three generations planning a family trip back to the Philippine Islands, and a cozy couple laughing at the front table.

The kitchen makes up complimentary bruschetta (the original garlic bread), drizzled with fruity olive oil, and diced Italian plum tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. Other appetizers are limited to a couple of soups: minestrone, Italian wedding or pasta fagioli. We sampled the latter; the much-loved classic came out piping hot with a rich broth accenting the beans.

Salads come with dinner or you can order a $9.95 chicken Caesar or a seafood version for $11.95. The chef should add a plain (read: cheaper) Caesar for variety, but there is a good house salad with carrots and red cabbage that comes with a sweet vinaigrette.

Atkins dieters need not worry: Despite the restaurant's name, the menu offers three or four non-pasta entrees. From the grill, there are beef, fish and chicken specials.

But pasta is the main draw, and a mix-and-match menu lets you pair your favorite noodle with your favorite sauce.  Pastas include half-dozen long noodles (including capellini, tagliolinicq and bucatini) and a half-dozen short (including cavatappi, cavatelli and lumaconi).

The 14 sauces are divided into two lists. For $10.95, you can get Pink Princess, Alfredo, red or white primavera, meat, meatball, sausage, tomato and basil or aglio e olio (garlic and oil). Puttanesca, pesto, carbonara, shrimp, frutti di mare or clams and mussels fill the $12.95 list.

Our pasta was simple but tasty, making our mouths water for creamier Parmesan-rich carbonara on penne, flecked with bacon. The portion seemed skimpy by the usual pasta standards. 
 
Fettuccine topped with a pale pesto sauce is another dependable choice. 
 
A special, Vino's Chicken Rollatini, was sliced thin and rolled around prosciutto ham, cheese and fresh basil, which gave it a subtle sweetness. 
 
Veal special gets an inspired Italian tailoring, its thin slices smothered in a light pesto sauce flecked with capers and tomatoes. 
 
A snapper special was inventive with fresh crab and artichoke hearts bathed in a light lemon sauce. It's served with Pink Princess sauce over bow-tie pasta, but you can order sautéed zucchini and summer squash instead. The vegetables were a little oily on one visit. 
 
Dessert choices are limited to profiterole, cannoli and a creamy espresso-laced tiramisu. 
 
The owners plan to change their lunch menu soon. Stay tuned.

Intimate Eatery Pairs Pasta, Wine
By Mary D. Scourtes of The Tampa Tribune
Published:  January 19, 2005