SEBASTIAN — Restaurants must be doing something right if they are around for 29 years. We found out what Giuseppe’s Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine does right on a recent Wednesday night when we arrived about 7 p.m. and were shown to a table on the patio under the limbs of two gnarly live oak trees.
The weather was beautiful and foliage screened the patio from the traffic on nearby Sebastian Boulevard.
As we pondered the menu, the three of us ordered cold drafts of Peroni beer ($2.25), one of my favorites and a bargain that would easily run $5 or more at most restaurants.
For appetizers, we opted for the Mussels Roberto ($8.95), the Trio Starter ($8.95) – a selection of onion rings, cheese sticks and chicken wings accompanied by ranch and blue cheese for dipping – and the fried pickles ($4.95).
Before our appetizers arrived, Zara, our waitress, brought a basket of hot fresh garlic bread heavily sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
The pieces of bread – almost loaf-like in their size – were delicious. They had a yeasty dough flavor boosted by oregano and garlic. The bread was just what the doctor ordered to stave off the hunger of a long day.
I’m a fan of mussels and really enjoyed the Mussels Roberto, which was cooked in a white wine with grated onion. They were wonderful hot, plump mussels just the way I like them.
The fried pickles were not the spears you see in a lot of restaurants, but pickle chips nicely fried.
“Crunchy and yummy,” according to my wife.
The Trio Starter items were fine, but nothing out of the ordinary.
For dinner, I ordered the chicken parmesan ($13.50), my wife picked the spinach, artichoke and ricotta pizza ($10.75) and our companion went with one of the nightly specials, the veal picatta ($14.)
Zara kept a good eye on us. Our salads came out right after we finished our appetizers and our entrees arrived not long after we finished our house salads.
My chicken parmesan was a hearty dish of tender chicken breast in a nice marina sauce, capped with a generous glazing of melted mozzarella.
My dinner also came with a small dish of spaghetti with marinara. All in all, a good selection on my part.
Our companion thoroughly enjoyed his veal picatta. He said his veal was tender, the sauce had a tangy, lemon twang to it and it was packed with large capers.
My wife, a vegetarian, was delighted with her pizza. She later admitted that she enjoyed it more when she reheated it at home the next day.
“It was fabulous,” she said.
The large pie was cooked just right and covered with plenty of spinach, artichokes and ricotta. It was a terrific selection we’d recommend if you’re looking for something a different than the standard pepperoni and cheese.
Although nearly stuffed after our appetizers and entrees, we let our belts out a notch and opted for dessert.
When the bill came, I thought I had taken a trip in Mr. Peabody’s Way-Back machine, landing in the 1960s or early 1970s by the prices.
My wife loved her mango Italian ice ($2), calling it a great palate cleanser, our companion enjoyed his half order of spumoni ($1.50) and I relished my cannoli ($2.75), a large tube of pastry overflowing with ricotta.
A nice addition to the menu at Giuseppe’s would be espresso for folks who want to linger over dessert.
Overall, we’d give Giuseppe’s a big thumb’s up for the food, the prices, our waitress Zara and the patio.
Our hostess said Giuseppe’s will soon have an awning over the patio, something that will make it even more inviting.
Dinner for two with appetizers, dessert and a glass or two of beer or wine will run about $60 per couple plus tip for a good night out that doesn’t break the bank.
The late Giuseppe Giambanco, who was originally from Sicily, and his son, Robert, founded Giuseppe’s Pizzeria and Italian Cuisine in 1983.
When Robert married in 1990, he and his wife, Tina, took over the business and relocated it to 935 Sebastian Blvd in 1991.
On the restaurant’s Web site, the couple note that they try to carry on in the same tradition of serving good food at great prices, all in the “family atmosphere our reputation began being built on more than twenty-five years ago.”
The restaurant business isn’t an easy one. Plenty come and go. Many are mercifully forgotten.
That’s not been the case with Giuseppe’s and the Giambanco family. They’ve found the key to success. Hopefully, they’ll have many more years of it.
