CUAISRITNE
MANGIA
Everybody Loves Italian
By Aaron R. Fodiman
MAY/JUNE 2018 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 171
Italian food tends to be among the
most popular choices whenever
a dining survey is taken. The fact
that pizza happens to be Italian
simply makes it inevitable. It seems
that wherever you were brought up,
there was a family-operated Italian
restaurant in your hometown.
We are fortunate to have our share
of Italian restaurants in the Tampa
Bay area that are owner-operated,
many by the chefs themselves.
After all, it takes a great chef to
make a great restaurant. Alfano’s
in Clearwater is blessed with two
great chef owners, Linda and
Frank Alfano, who travel to Italy
each year to discover new tastes
to bring back to their customers.
Likewise, Massimo’s Eclectic Fine
Dining in Palm Harbor has Massimo
Patano, who was the personal chef
for Sophia Loren and has prepared
dinner at the James Beard House in
New York City, overseeing every
meal served at his Massimo’s
restaurant. In the same vein, Chef
Sesto Ramadori oversees Da Sesto
Italiano Ristorante e Vino in Pinellas
Park, as does the Forlini family at
Forlini’s on Clearwater Beach, where
the second generation is now manning the
stoves that their parents once ruled.
In Dunedin, Chef Julian Adams at
Julian’s Little Italy may not have an Italian
name, but one taste of his cooking will
make you think you have just arrived
in Rome. At Gratzzi Italian Grille in
downtown St. Petersburg, Chef Anthony
Mangiafico and Domenic D’Angelo show
their passion for fine Italian dining with
their creations, which include their popular
tableside Cavatelli Bada Bing. Next on
our list is Sages West Bay Bistro in Largo,
where Patty and Mike Shade create Italian
flavors such as Tortellini in Pink Sauce, as
though they were from Tuscany.
At the three Gigi’s Italian Restaurants,
one in St. Pete Beach, one on Treasure
Island and one on Fourth Street in
St. Petersburg, you can see why these
family owned Italian trattorias have been
loved since 1967. Pizza is one of the
highlights at Gigi’s, and that brings us to
the three additional places we go for pizza.
The first is Slyce with its two locations,
one in Indian Rocks and the other in
Madeira Beach. The stone-baked artisan
pizzas here can be ordered on gluten-free
or whole wheat crusts in addition to their
signature crust. Next is Palm Harbor’s
Fairway Pizza, which in addition to being
a sports bar, serves pizza that is first class
in so many ways. Our final favorite, Pan
y Vino in downtown Dunedin, we admit
is not Italian, even though it may sound
like it is, but rather is the creation of Tina
and Javier Avila, the owners of Casa Tina
next door. Since they and their family love
pizza, Tina and Javier have created this
brick oven haven that will win you over
to their style of dining.
Mangia! 9
Places to Go
Alfano’s Restaurant,
1702 Clearwater Largo Road,
Clearwater, (727) 584-2125.
Massimo’s Eclectic
Fine Dining,
31876 U.S. Highway 19 N.,
Palm Harbor, (727) 784-1881.
Forlini’s Restaurant,
435 Mandalay Ave.,
Clearwater Beach, (727) 441-1111.
Da Sesto Italiano
Ristorante e Vino,
7199 66th St. N., Pinellas Park,
(727) 209-2695.
Julian’s Little Italy,
Dunedin Plaza Shopping Center,
916 Patricia Ave., Dunedin,
(727) 734-8989.
Gratzzi Italian Grille,
211 Second St. S., St. Petersburg,
(727) 623-9037.
Sages West Bay Bistro,
883 West Bay Drive, Largo,
(727) 585-6600.
Gigi’s Italian Restaurants,
5901 Fourth St. N., St. Petersburg,
(727) 526-2400; 105 Treasure Island
Causeway, (727) 360-6905; and
4399 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach,
(727) 363-3344.
Slyce,
311 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach,
(727) 408-5272; and 662 150th Ave.,
Madeira Beach, (727) 308-7881.
Fairway Pizza &
Sports Page Pub,
2901 Alternate U.S. 19 N., Palm
Harbor, (727) 772-7060.
Pan y Vino Brick Oven Pizza,
369 Main St., Dunedin,
(727) 734-7700.
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