Vino E Pasta sits on a dark little corner of Gandy Blvd. and Himes in South Tampa.
To be honest, from the outside, it doesn’t look like much. It’s a small, rectangular block building, standing alone, save for a closed-down coffee drive-thru and the wide, gleaming berth of a Publix store behind it.
The sign for the restaurant is green, plastic and a bit faded from the sun.
Inside, however, no clue existed to prove I am still in Tampa, or maybe even America, for that matter.
Small tables were dressed to the nines in white tablecloths with a smaller black linen laid over top.
A water glass and wine glass stood at attention, ready to serve, and a white rose adorned the tables.
The counter in the back of the dining room held a cash register and behind it was a plethora of unopened wine bottles.
An unobtrusive TV in the upper corner of the counter area streamed football news constantly. European football, that is.
The white, stucco-ed walls were hung with paintings of idyllic Italian countryside, and soft, instrumental music was playing lightly overhead.
Since the atmosphere felt this authentic, I could not wait to try the food.
A server noticed me immediately and said simply, “Sit anywhere, please.”
A table in the corner beckoned me, and I sat there immediately, allowing a view of the rest of the 15’ x 20’ dining room.
Only one other table was present on a weekday night.
As I looked over the menu, after ordering an iced tea to drink, my server brought a basket of bread with pesto sauce and a small sample of bruschetta to my table.
I crunched down on the amuse-bouche and savored the taste of fresh tomatoes and basil.
For an appetizer, I ordered the Eggplant Rollatine.
It arrived quite shortly, and piping hot.
The eggplant had been thinly sliced, rolled, and stuffed with ricotta cheese.
It was then covered in a marinara sauce and melted mozzarella.
It was a little on the small side, with only three two-bite rolls, but that is all right.
It tasted superb and I still had plenty of room for my entrée.
Amidst the usual Italian offerings, I found a section headed “Create Your Own Pasta Dish.”
This intrigued me and I decided to invent the meal myself.
There were many choices of long or short pasta, and two lists of sauces: traditional and specialty.
It was a difficult choice, but in the end, I decided on tortellini pasta stuffed with cheese, and a sauce called “Pink Princess,” a mixture of alfredo and marinara sauces.
It was the best of both worlds.
And who can resist a name like that?
The pasta was excellent: not too chewy, not too mushy.
To my pleasant surprise, there were two kinds of tortellini shells, spinach and white.
The sauce was indeed pink, and very much royalty in flavor, creamy, and with fresh chunks of tomato throughout.
Garnished with fresh basil around the edges of the dish, the plate was aromatic and hearty.
For dessert, I had to try the tiramisu, a traditional Italian sweet made from lady fingers soaked in espresso and topped with a layer of custard.
The top was covered with a fine powder of cocoa dust, being a perfect foil to the sweetness of the custard.
It was an excellent finish to a filling and pleasing meal.
The evening was over all too fast.
By the time I was ready to leave, several other tables had arrived and the dining room was nearly full. It was easy to see why.
The service had been impeccable, and so had the food.
I was sad to leave this little corner of Italy.
But I knew I would be back for another round sometime soon.
Moriah Parrish can be reached at mparrish@spartans.ut.edu.