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Dining review: Formaggio's is a gem for lucky locals

Staff photo by JIM REED

The menu at Formaggio's in Lithia includes, clockwise from left, Tuscan Shrimp Scampi, Tomato Caprese, Ravioli Florentine and Shrimp Romaneli Ala Vodka.

By SHANNON BEHNKEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 8, 2009

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The maitre d' sets the tone right away that Formaggio's Italian Restaurant isn't a typical neighborhood dive.

And it's as serious about the food as it is about the atmosphere.

The restaurant, located on Lithia Pinecrest Road near Boyette, feels out of the way for those traveling from other areas. But for those who live in the Fishhawk area, it's a neighborhood treasure.

We were led to a quaint table with a white tablecloth covered in white paper — instant coloring paper for little guests — and warmed by the flicker of a small candlelight. Our server greeted us immediately.

As we waited on drinks, we took in the ambience. There was a faux fireplace, soft lighting and couples sipping wine at corner tables. A great date place, we thought.

On the other hand, there were three television sets tuned into various sporting events and several tables had children. Maybe it's a better place for families or groups to get together to watch a game, without having to travel far from home.

On our first visit, we started with the mozzarella sticks and ordered The Works pizza. The 12-inch pizza was more than enough for three of us and was loaded with pepperoni, peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives and sausage. It was served on a Pizza Butler, which stacks the pizza and saves a lot of room on the table.

We were grateful that our courteous waitress steered us away from the 15-inch pizza. It definitely would have been too much.

We were hungry and disappointed when the mozzarella sticks didn't come out before the pizza. When they finally arrived, they reminded of us of typical bar food, but weren't bad. Even so, our server made sure we weren't charged for them.

Formaggio's New York-style pizza has softer dough than traditional American chain pizza restaurants. One of us thought it was perfect. One would have liked it with a bit more oven time.

On our second visit, we tried entrees.

We started with the four-piece Bruschetta, which was fresh and drizzled with just the right amount of balsamic vinegar reduction.

For entrees, we chose the Chicken Marsala, which came with a creamy reduction sauce and was served with angel hair pasta and mushrooms. We shared and both thought it was fantastic.

We also tried the Spinach Ravioli and especially liked the buttery garlic sauce.

We both had salads with our entrees. Both the Caesar salad and the house salad had a generous amount of freshly grated cheese. The Caesar dressing tasted homemade and gourmet.

Our little one ordered the kid's cheese pizza and loved it.

Other entrees include traditional favorites, such as lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs and chicken Parmesan over angel hair pasta.

The service was excellent on both visits.

Formaggio's has been open for a little more than three years and continues to tweak its menu and hours. They have a Sunday breakfast buffet and will be open this fall on Monday nights for pizza and football viewing.

The cost of some of entrees is a bit steep, especially considering salads will cost you an extra $2, but in general we found the prices comparable to other restaurants of similar quality. Portions are large enough to take home leftovers for the next day's lunch. The pizza was very moderately priced.

We met patrons who said they come regularly from nearby subdivisions and we were impressed to meet regular customers from as far away as New Tampa.

Formaggio's is worth the drive for a refreshing change of pace. For those in the neighborhood: Consider yourselves lucky.

DINING REVIEW

Formaggio's

BOTTOM LINE: Authentic Italian in casual yet elegant atmosphere.

WHERE: 5622 Lithia-Pinecrest Road (at corner of Boyette Road), Lithia

HOURS: 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; also open Monday from 4 p.m. to midnight for "Monday Night Football" (limited menu)

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: Only for parties of 6 or more on Fridays

CHILDREN'S MENU: Yes

ALCOHOL: Beer and wine

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

PRICE: Entrees range from $8 to $16

CALL: (813) 643-1418

Tribune reviewers eat anonymously. Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.