Boca’s Restaurant Row is an explosive, vibrant scene that, with a roster of stellar restaurants, has injected a new life into Midtown Boca. Its inaugural tenant was chef Fabio Trabocchi’s Fiolina Pasta House, which introduced Boca to the chef’s award-winning take on Italian dishes. Originally from Le Marche on Italy’s Adriatic coast, Trabocchi’s passion for pasta is on full display at his first Boca Raton concept. Adjacent to an open kitchen buzzing with energy and heavenly scents sits the glass-enclosed, red-framed pasta kitchen where artisan pastaios, or pasta makers, knead, roll out and handcraft the variety of pastas on the menu.
Fiolina is swanky, effortlessly easing itself into Boca’s idyllic, sophisticated style. Playful floral prints and vibrant pops of reds are the backdrop to la dolce vita-inspired artwork, an indoor-outdoor bar, and a sprawling terrace checkered with scarlet umbrellas.
The menu journeys through Trabocchi’s native land with regional dishes spanning the peninsula. The Amalfi Coast’s cerulean waters are celebrated with seafood pastas like lobster squid ink tagliolini and linguine vongole, while the chef’s hometown is represented with Fabio’s ravioli and Nonna’s potato gnocchi. But before getting to the pasta, if you like the always-satisfying burrata as much as I do, then the first stop on the menu has to be the Mozzarella Bar. Here you can choose from different options like buffalo, burrata or burricotta (a blend of burrata and ricotta). I chose the burrata and paired it with ethereal prosciutto (aged 20 months) and sweet and juicy white melon ($42).
For a place that touts its house-made pasta, I zeroed in on this section. I must mention that, for non-pasta lovers (gasp!), the menu does have other entrées, including octopus, branzino, sausage and veal chop Parm. We ordered Nonna’s gnocchi ($30), and I was leaning towards ordering the bucatini alla carbonara until our waiter let us know that it was one pasta that wasn’t made in-house—so I opted for the beef short rib agnolotti ($36).
At first taste, both pastas were flavorful but unfortunately quite salty. I usually love salt, but this was a little excessive for my palate. In any case, after a few more bites, it was less noticeable. For mushroom fans, the gnocchi is a wonderful dish of deliciously fluffy pasta with shiitake mushrooms in a porcini cream sauce. The agnolotti missed the mark for me. I didn’t get the flavor of the short rib, and the truffle pesto, which leaned more towards a pale yellow than basil green, tasted more like butter than anything else.
Redemption was on the horizon with the dessert menu’s several tasty options. We ordered Nonna’s cookies ($8). She hadn’t disappointed us yet and continued to surprise us with the moist assortment of cookies. My Ferrero Rocher addiction was satisfied with the Piemontese gianduja cake ($18), a divine hazelnut chocolate ganache cake.
As a postscript, I won’t forget how Fiolina handles to-go doggy bags. Instead of bringing a clunky bag to the table, a petite claim ticket is presented once the plates are cleared, and you’re directed to pick up your bag before leaving the restaurant—a classy touch from an award-winning chef.
IF YOU GO
5377 Town Center Road, Boca Raton; 561/473-9400
PARKING: Valet, lot and garage parking
HOURS: Monday: 5 – 10 p.m.; Tuesday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday: 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
PRICES: $16 – $68
WEBSITE: fiolinapasta.com
