I confess. For the past two decades, I have been addicted to the garlic knots at the Pomodoro Grill.
You smell the scent of hot baking rolls and lots of garlic the minute you come through the door of the attractively decorated Tuscan trattoria. It’s all I can do to concentrate on the menu as I wait for a basket of those olive-oil basted beauties to come to the table.
For 20 years now, we have been dining at this unpretentious restaurant tucked back in the corner of an office building at the southern end of Cardinal Drive.
For many years, we enjoyed the dishes of Peppy Amelio, who bought the restaurant in 1998 from his brother Mimmo (who then went on found the Scampi Grill). At both restaurants, however, the younger generation is now in charge – Amadeo Amelio at Pomodoro and his cousin Alex at Scampi.
Both are also clearly in good hands. After dining at Pomodoro a couple of times in recent weeks, I would have to say the dishes (as well as the garlic knots) have never been better.
On both of our recent visits, our party of three started by sharing an order of calamari fra diavolo ($10.95) – squid sauteed with garlic, white wine and basil and finished in a light but spicy marinara sauce. Extremely tasty.
Following the appetizers, we moved to the field greens-and-tomato salads that are included with entrées – I had mine with a tangy tomato basil vinaigrette, while my husband and our companion opted for the creamy Vidalia onion dressing.
For entrées on our first visit, I ordered the gamberoni ala “Pappa Peppy” ($20.95), my husband opted for the veal scaloppini piccata ($21.95) and our companion decided to have a 12-inch personal brick oven pizza ($15.95).
My perfectly cooked shrimp came tossed with penne pasta in a sun-dried tomato and goat cheese pesto cream sauce. Yummy. My husband’s fork-tender slices of veal were sauteed in a very tasty lemon butter chardonnay sauce.
Our companion’s pizza – with anchovies, mozzarella, mushrooms and onions – came crispy as ordered.
On our second visit, I chose the eggplant parmigiana ($16), my husband had the veal scaloppini marsala ($21.95) and our companion ordered the linguine vongole ($18.95).
My entrée consisted of slices of breaded eggplant layered with fresh basil, Romano and mozzarella cheese, topped with Pomodoro’s marinara, and baked in their oven with a side of rigatoni. This could well be the best eggplant to be found in Vero.
My husband’s veal scaloppini this time was sautéed with mushrooms and finished in a light marsala sauce. A nice dish, but of the two, he preferred the piccata. Our companion, though, had nothing but raves for her linguine topped with sauteed clams, garlic, basil and white wine. The sauce was superb.
By the time we finished our entrées, we had enjoyed too many of the garlic knots to consider dessert. Dinner for two, accompanied by a modest bottle of wine, typically comes to about $100 before taxes and tip.
For the next month, Pomodoro also intends to continue to offer its summer menu – a tempting assortment of dishes (the eggplant parm was one of them) together with salad, and most important the garlic knots, for only $16.
In a few weeks as the weather starts to cool, one also will able to enjoy the outside garden while dining al fresco (or enjoying a cappuccino after dinner) on a winter evening.
As Pomodoro celebrates its 20th anniversary, it remains at the top of its game – an island favorite that is hard to beat.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer is a beachside resident who dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.