We set out looking for comfort -- the kind you find in a big bowl of pasta or a pizza dripping with gooey mozzarella cheese. Here are our scouting reports on three neighborhood Italian restaurants around Broward. Mangia!
PAPA PISTOLA'S
Dark and cozy, Papa Pistola's reminds you of a grandmother's kitschy, knickknack-filled house. The rust-colored walls are decorated with wine bottles, plastic grapes and vintage album covers (Dean Martin, Perry Como, Henry Mancini), and some of those old crooners can be heard singing in background. It adds up to an inviting atmosphere that makes this a popular local hangout.
The menu is pretty standard, with a selection of parmigiana, marsala and francese veal and chicken dishes as well as an assortment of pastas. All dinners come with a soup or salad.
Served on a bed of pasta, the veal marsala is two large slices of meat tender enough to cut with a fork. The sauce could have used more mushrooms, but earns points for its velvety smoothness and just the right balance of marsala wine.
The frutti di mare pasta is prepared al dente with a zesty tomato sauce and an ample assortment of mussels, clams, calamari and shrimp.
The pithy quotes from fictional Papa Pistola sprinkled throughout the menu (''My wife is such a bad cook, in my house we pray after we eat'') make him sound like an Italian Henny Youngman.
• Papa Pistola's, 2980 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale; 954-630-9388. Pastas $12.95-$19.95, entrees $16.95-19.95.
TOMMY'S ITALIAN
Tommy's takes the typical strip-center Italian restaurant and kicks it up a notch. The Italian courtyard decor is both trendy and comfortable, with brick-lined walls and two flat-screen televisions.
In addition to traditional dishes like eggplant parmigiana and fettuccine alfredo, you'll find more ambitious offerings like sea scallops oreganata, tilapia francaise and veal or chicken don pablo (breaded, fried and topped with plum tomatoes and red onions dressed in balsamic vinegar).
It was clear from the lively banter between owners Tommy and Suzy Fariello and their patrons that they have built a relationship with many of the regulars.
The restaurant emphasizes that everything is cooked to order, and the menu reminds guests: ''All good food takes time to prepare . . . so please be patient.'' The rainy Sunday night we visited was slow so the wait wasn't long, but that might be a different on a busy Saturday night. Either way, your patience will be rewarded.
Dinners come with a choice of soup or salad. A delicious surprise for an Italian restaurant was French onion soup served in its own miniature stock pot. Savory, packed with onions and dripping with cheese, it was first-rate.
The veal pizzaiola had a nice, chunky sauce loaded with large slices of red and green peppers, onions and garlic, but the veal was thick and chewy. The veal parmigiana -- two substantial slices, lightly fried and covered with a garlicky tomato sauce and just the right amount of mozzarella cheese -- was more tender.
Children aren't limited to the usual kids' menu; they can pick a half portion of anything on the menu. In our case that meant baked penne pasta with a hearty meat sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella.
The beauty of Tommy's is that it's casual enough for a family dinner and yet nice enough for a date. While most entrees are under $20, a few of the specials and seafood dishes are higher.
• Tommy's Italian Restaurant, 4771 S. University Dr., Davie; 954-680-0113, tommyspizzarestaurant.com. Appetizers $6-$10, most pastas $10-$17, most entrees $14-$19.
GUISEPPI'S
With antique slot machines, a Tommy gun sitting in a violin case and the side of a purple 1927 Buick on the wall, Guiseppi's of Brooklyn II tries to bring a little gangster flair to the suburbs.
The menu is more standard than the decor, with a pretty basic mix of chicken wings, stromboli, pizza, pastas and sandwiches.
There are gourmet pizzas like chicken alfredo, buffalo chicken and bacon cheeseburger as well as the usual toppings. Ours came with a thin and chewy crust, fresh mushrooms and moist meatball slices with a nice, spicy finish.
Stick to the pizza, stromboli and sandwiches. Most of our entrees arrived cold and were still disappointing when they came back from the kitchen warmed up. The stuffed eggplant was overcooked, the sauce of a side of penne pasta tasted canned, and the baked ziti had no umph. Fuggedaboutit!
• Guiseppi's of Brooklyn II, 9419 Sheridan St., Cooper City; 954-322-2800. Sandwiches $3.99-$8.49, pizzas $7.50-$24.50, calzones and strombolis $5.49-$19.99, pastas $8.99-$11.99.
