The restaurant, situated in a strip mall, is a throwback to the 1940s. Hardwood floors and exposed brick walls complement framed pictures of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Ol' Blue Eyes is crooning on the stereo, mixed in with some Italian opera and Rat Pack music. But before we could order, I had one thing to take care of: The restroom.
Sadly, like many dining establishments, the owners obviously forgot that the restroom is an extension of the dining experience. A large wet/dry vac and a gallon of bleach stowed in the corner did nothing to whet my appetite, but I tried to put it out of my mind.
Back at the table, we were immediately greeted and asked for drink orders. The staff achieved the perfect blend of responsiveness and availability, while not being bothersome at all.
While we waited for our food, we checked out our table. Each table in the ristorante had an inset of a famous city, which was overlaid with epoxy. Guess which city we got? Only the best city in the world...Chi-town. It was the coolest table.It had Wrigley Field, the Art Museum, Harry Caray's, Marshall Fields, and many other Chicago landmarks.
Anyway, on to the food. We got the early bird special, and no we're not pretending to be retirees. We just happened to get there a few minutes before six, so we went for it.
First they brought out four buttery garlic rolls. I cannot emphasize the butter and garlic enough. It was so greasy that I could hardly hold my fork afterward because it kept sliding out of my hand. Deliciously artery-blocking and bad-breath-creating, but oh-so-worth it.
Next came the salad. Crisp green lettuce and wonderful Italian dressing, but booooring. One wedge of tomato, one slice of cucumber, and a couple rounds of red onion. That's it. C'mon people! Give me a crouton, a carrot, something.
But before long our entrees came out, and we soon forgot the bromidic greens. We shared a cheese ravioli with marinara and a lasagna. At first I was a little sad there were only four ravioli on the plate, but it turned out to be plenty. The ravioli were a little boring, but I blame myself for ordering something boring. The lasagna was delicious, but needed a tad more marinara. We used the excess marinara from the four raviolis and we were all set. The waitress also brought out more garlic rolls, and let's be honest, garlic and butter goes a long way in making me happy.
Coffee and dessert were part of the Early Bird special, but it felt like we didn't get to choose our dessert. Our very nice waitress was quite insistent that we get the Pumpkin cake. So we did. And while it was very tasty, it was a Jenny Craig-sized portion. I mean really! Let me eat cake people! The coffee was super strong, but it did have a good Italian flavor.
Total bill for the two of us was $22.24...not bad for a zesty Italian dinner. Not sure Olive Garden could've given us such a deal.
Luann gives Carlucci's 3.5 silver chopsticks.
Ken gives Carlucci's 3.5 silver chopsticks.
Carlucci's Italian Ristorante
6351 N Andrews Ave (at Cypress Station)
Fort Lauderdale 33309
(954) 493-8600
