When you dine at Donatos Italian Restaurant in New York City, you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to the vibrant and flavorful neighbourhood of Little Italy.
In Port Charlotte’s Murdock Carousel Plaza, brothers Dennis and David Valentino have been recreating their childhood since 2000 by introducing an authentic Italian-American atmosphere and menu.
DON NATOS’S HAND MADE PASTA
is conveniently located, as are his shrimp, chicken, and veal, as well as other Little Italy-inspired dishes. Intimate brick-sided buildings with iron balconies, fire escapes, flowerboxes, and silhouetted cats perched in windows — and a butcher selling fillet mignon for $1.99 a pound — can be found just beyond the white-tiled Spring Street Station tunnel, where diners are led by speakers that mimic the sound of an approaching train.
BLACK ROOF
You’ll feel like you’re dining under the stars any time of day or night at this restaurant because of its dark interior and star-shaped light fixtures. There are fire hydrants, raised sidewalks with yellow painted curbs, early 1990s lamps, parking metres, and a smaller 50-seat dining room in the shadow of the Stage Left Theater box office. This is donatos coupons full-service bar, the Three Oaks Lounge.
BROTHERS VALENTINO
Family recipes have inspired some of the dishes served by the Valentino brothers. For those who grew up on authentic Little Italy cuisine in NYC, each bite of the restaurant’s entrees and “Sunday gravy” will bring back fond memories of the neighbourhood and evoke a wave of nostalgia. The restaurant honours Donato’s discount code with fresh mozzarella and spaghetti prepared to order.
At the pasta station, the chef will prepare dishes like lasagna, fettuccine, and corkscrews for the diners to watch.
ADVERTISES TO BUYERS
Donato’s is a neighbourhood bar with a friendly, relaxed vibe where you may relax with a speciality martini or sangria created with fresh fruit and brandy to get the party started. A Bellini, which combines orange sparkling wine with peach puree and a peach slice, is what I go for. What a caring attitude! Donato’s spaghetti sparkling peach drink was refreshing and not too sweet or heavy.
CAIBATTA BAGUETTE
We were presented with a miniature ciabatta baguette topped with garlic, olive oil, and Romano as we discussed main courses. We decided on Donato’s Prince Edward Island spaghetti with either a spicy marinara or white wine sauce. A sauce with garlic, onions, and herbs was what we went for. The pound of mussels was delicious with the butter and wine base.
THE FIRST PART OF OUR NIGHTLY SPECIAL
For an appetiser, I opted for the special of the evening: pan-seared gnocchi with potato chives and roasted summer vegetables in a herb-sweet vermouth sauce. The potato pillows were soft and doughy, like fluffy French fries. Herbed roasted onions, yellow squash, and zucchini were among the summer herbs used.
Donato’s features six different veal dinners, including osso buco, along with fish, chicken, and six different types of pasta. A bottle of wine is suggested to pair with the $28.99 bone-in veal chop Parmigiana on the menu. There are 13 different red wines and 5 different white wines (including Prosecco). Among the four draught beers available by the glass, the Italian Peronei will set you back a cool $5.
I had the Parmesan risotto with homemade veal sausage buns. Someone in my group got fish for dinner.
Salad or soup is a common accompaniment to main dishes. Soup with chicken, escarole, and sweet sausage was what I went for.
RECIPE OF NOTE
The first night we had Rebecca as our server, we were blown away. She was well-versed on the offerings and the methods used to make them. The wait staff was attentive and helpful, always making sure we had enough water and were otherwise satisfied.
Pasta tiramisu is Donato’s specialty, and he serves it in enormous individual pieces topped with a rectangular cloud of whipped cream and mascarpone and surrounded by ladyfingers. In particular, I highly recommend my friend’s New York cheesecake. On our future visit, we’d want to get some cannolis made with freshly piped filling.
PASTA To get a feel for the restaurant’s pasta options, we ordered the Lobster Bisque Pasta from the normal menu and the Bucatini (basically hollow spaghetti) with short rib sauce from the nightly special.
BEET AND GREENS SALAD
No more than 4 guests please. The primary components are Chioggia and Golden beets. Couples with average
Ingredients: Ingredients: 6 ounces of fresh, peeled and poached fava beans; 1.5 ounces of wild organic arugula; 2 teaspoons of premium olive oil; 1 sprig of rosemary
Also See: nobull discount code
Two glasses of dry white wine (Pinot Grigio is recommended) One tablespoon of Chianti vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 ounce of goat cheese or Pecorino – 1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper seasoning.
The beets need to be roasted in a dish with a high lip. Toss the beets with the dry white wine, garlic, rosemary, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Set aside on Donato’s plate of pasta. Toss beet segments, fava beans, and your choice cheese with the dressing after arranging the ingredients on a bed of arugula.
Menu Items Include: Veal, Chicken, and Pork, as well as Appetizers, Salads, and Spaghetti.
APERITIF The Angus-beef carpaccio ($15) is a delicious appetiser that comes with frisée, black truffle aioli, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Banana peppers stuffed with ahi tuna and aged olives are the most popular appetiser at this trendy restaurant, and they only set you back $10. (I did not try them).
Portobello, crimini, and shitake mushrooms, along with onions, are sautéed in a rich mushroom broth for the seasonal mushrooms ($10). The grilled artichokes and asparagus ($11) feature large artichoke hearts seasoned with Sicilian sea salt and grilled with the stems and fresh asparagus brushed with lemon oil.
RICH CHEESECAKE RIFT
The ricotta cheesecake ($11) is perfectly creamy and airy on top of a buttery, traditional graham-cracker crust. Donato’s version of the English soup, or zuppa ingles, costs $12. It’s a layered dessert with thin layers of sponge cake soaked in triple sec and rum and thick layers of chocolate, berry, and vanilla pastry creams that serve as topping. Wow! The $11 tiramisu was delicious, with just the right balance of dryness and moistness.