CUAIRSITNE
CIPRESSO
Italian Perfection at
the Hard Rock
By Margaret Word Burnside and Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Noraa
Colorado Lamb Chops at Cipresso are served with escarole and
Going to the Seminole Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino to dine is a pleasure.
So when they opened their new
Italian restaurant Cipresso, we
looked forward to enjoying another great
meal at the casino. Upon arriving, we
immediately fell in love with the vibe of the
décor, the layout and the graciousness of the
host and servers. However, it was the food
that totally captivated us. Chef de Cuisine
Joe Caratozzolo has created some of the
finest Italian dishes we have ever tasted. His
Nonna’s Meatballs were sensational, and
the fried calamari with pomodoro sauce and
pesto aioli were beyond belief. Tender and
flash-fried, they took our breath away. There
are antipasti such as beef carpaccio, fried
mozzarella and burrata, and an opportunity
to create your own mix of assorted meats
and cheeses. They also offer Italian wedding
soup and four salads: a Caesar, Caprese,
spinach and our favorite, a Panzanella that
is made from the excellent fresh baked bread
that is served at the table with olive oil and
balsamic vinegar.
There are seven pastas that range from
lasagna with spinach pasta and béchamel
sauce to a carbonara option. The entrées
butter beans and a delightful mint salsa verde.
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
oil totally captivated us. We cannot wait
to go back to try the meatball pizza with
ricotta cheese and pomodoro sauce, and
the Carne pizza with bacon, sausage, red
onion and scallions. They also make a
Margherita pizza with mozzarella, tomato
and basil; a Four Cheese; a Prosciutto with
asparagus, ricotta, and pecorino romano;
and a Piccante pizza with pomodoro,
salami and button mushrooms. We are
sure that each is top-notch.
Cipresso’s General Manager Chris Lynn
wouldn’t let us leave without trying three
of the desserts: a panna cotta sweetened
cream molded with blood oranges, a
deconstructed mascarpone cheese cake and
a cannoli pastry. Once they came to the table,
we understood why. The presentations
were beautiful. The moment we took the
first taste of each we were hooked. These
are habit forming. One bite had us finishing
them completely. Cipresso is truly a shining
star in Tampa Bay’s culinary heaven. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cipresso at the Seminole
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is at 5223 N. Orient
Road in Tampa, (813) 627-8130.
include eggplant or veal parmesan, chicken
marsala, branzino (Italian sea bass), filet
mignon, lamb chops, porchetta and a
bone-in rib-eye steak. We had the perfectly
cooked branzino with caramelized fennel,
capers and a fennel sauce, and the Colorado
lamb chops with escarole, butter beans and
mint salsa verde. Both were perfection, full
of flavor and with sauces that added an
extra level of enjoyment to each dish. Of the
menu’s six side items, we chose the fried
cauliflower with raisins, and the crispy
Brussels sprouts, both of which were unlike
any we have had before. The cauliflower
was not fried in a batter, but was fresh
tasting and healthy, while the Brussels
sprouts had a special subtle sweetness
that made them delectable.
Another item on the menu is pizza,
which is not ordinary because the crust is
made with day-old fermented dough and
topped with the finest accompaniments.
The wild mushroom pizza turned out to
be among the best pizzas we have ever
tasted. Their special oven had blistered
the crust to give it a splendid texture. The
combination of wild mushrooms, roasted
garlic, fontina cheese, herbs and truffle