House of Pasta recently opened in Fort Myers on Winkler Rd just south of Cypress Lake Drive. Normally, we will wait awhile before trying a new restaurant, but we heard such good things, that we wanted to check them out. We were not disappointed at all.
Sometimes you just want some really good Italian food to have a nice dinner or celebrate a special occasion. House of Pasta is a perfect fit, if that is what you are looking for.
House of Pasta is a “true and authentic northern Italian restaurant” according to their website. The menu is creative and has many wonderful dishes to choose from. It was difficult to make a choice as there were so many we wanted to try. Check out their MENU
The atmosphere and décor are very warm and cozy. They did an excellent job in remodeling. For a restaurant only being open a month, they certainly know what they are doing. There is a saying, the devil is in the details, and Hose of Pasta does pay attention to all those little details but there are a few that still need some work, but it should not deter you from giving them a try.
The food was phenomenal. We started with the Escargot Provinciale – Snails in grilled mushroom cups, filled with anisette infused baby spinach, finished with tarragon garlic butter sauce ($9). There were 4 on the plate but each mushroom cap had 2 snails. The snails were cooked perfectly. If you are a lover of escargot, like we are, then you will not be disappointed.
We then went on to our entrees. We chose the Chicken Marsala – Chicken tenderloins sautéed in a mushroom & Marsala wine demiglace ($18) and the Chicken Piccata – Chicken sautéed in a lemon butter white wine sauce, paired with artichokes and capers ($18). Each were served over Spagetini and vegetable of the day (carrots and zucchini). The portion size was ample, but the flavors were spot on. We had to save room for dessert. We opted to share the Almond Bacio di Ameretto – Light mascarpone and cream custard bound with amaretto infused lady fingers, topped with shaved chocolate and toasted almonds ($7). If you love almonds, then this is the dessert for you. It was very light, so it was the perfect ending of a perfect meal.
The service was good but there were just a few things that could make this a better experience. Our server tried really hard, almost too hard. He made errors from not fully listening. As an example, my dining partner wanted their Chicken Marsala without the mushrooms, but it was served with the mushrooms, so it had to be brought back. We asked for the bread dipping oil without the cheese and it was brought with not only no cheese but no spices. These are just minor issues that with training can be resolved. We did overhear another server ask their table, they turned their head and looked over their shoulder as they were walking away, and asked “Do you want coffee or anything?” As this is a high-end restaurant, there are more professional ways to ask about coffee and dessert. This may seem like we are being overly picky but as we said earlier, the devil is in the details. Should this stop you from dining there? No would be our answer.
House of Pasta – 7050 Winkler Rd Unit 112/113, Fort Myers, FL 33919 – offers a great dining experience and you will want to be sure to give them a try. Perhaps before season arrives because we suspect there will be long lines to get in once the word gets out to our seasonal visitors.
Looking for local places to dine?
Check out our other reviews at Discriminating Diner
Overall Rating: Phenomenal
