Ovenella-A Superior New Italian Restaurant
By: Marc Kent
Located at 499 south Federal Highway in Boca Raton, this bright, modern and spacious Bistro is a new take on Italian classics.
Open for lunch and dinner, Mondays through Saturdays from 11AM and on Sundays from 5PM, Ovenella offers a Happy Hour from 4PM to 7PM, daily with a Happy Hour food menu, half the signature cocktails and a dozen selective wines.
Dinner menu, quite creative, is supplemented by daily specials – This evening we were treated to an appetizer of lump crab meat cake with a garlic tartar sauce on a bed of diced celery, avocado and tomato – excellent taste and texture with crab to spare. The standard menu of 9 items included calamari fritti, loaded with a buttermilk crusted batter, offering a soft core with delicate taste with a roasted garlic sauce. The citrus cured salmon carpaccio, a hugh serving of thin salmon slices with pickled red onions, shaved cucumber and fennel with crème French dressing was outstanding! Of the 5 salads presented, we chose to test the Caesar – nice shards of romaine with a creamy Caesar dressing, just right in taste – Though one can request anchovy supplements, if you wish.
The entrée specials this evening were short ribs, fork tender with truffle butter mashed potatoes a wonderful flavor treat as was the second entrée special of large sea scallops, dusted with salt and pepper, properly broiled and finished with a pinch of sea salt. These were presented on a bed of the mashed with a red wine/butter sauce and a few baby asparagus.
We then turned to the listing of ten 12” pizzas and chose the shrimp scampi with garlic roasted jumbo shrimp and fresh herbs with light parmesan cheese, then the prosciutto pizza with parma mosciutto, mozzarella, baby arugula and oregano. The perfect then crust base was a platform for both selections and – one assumes – for all on this eclectic list. Listed as “Pizza Biancho” and nine items, varied with fine toppings to choose from.
Pastas – 7 in number- include tasty clams and mussels possiipo with garlic, tomatoes, olive oil and white wine; lobster and crab ravioli with wilted leaf spinach, grape tomatoes and leeks – juicy, tender bi-valves in a nice broth. We also tried rosemary pappadella – braised veal ragout with wild mushrooms, spinach in a fine Barolo wine sauce. All were above par!
The menu “Specialita” listing of seven selections offer salmon, prawns, chicken, beef and veal with well desired accompaments and for us to review at a later date.
Five tasting desserts include a warm wood oven baked apple tart with caramel sauce and cinnamon ice cream – enough to share with a friend or two. There is an Appleton Jamaican rum flavor to the tiramisu that sets it apart from other we’ve had. This evening there was a blueberry short cake with crème freich and wild berry sauce, a sweet ending to this fine dining. Three others are listed. Teas, coffees, espressos and coffee drinks are for the asking.
Without exceptions, their lunch menu includes the above plus a selection of paninis, all at reduced prices.
Ovenella has seating for 90 inside at tables and booths plus 13 at the well stocked bar and 50 at their patio. We recommend you – Go and Enjoy!
