A Fork in the Road: Bellini Italian Bistro

South Beach draws an influx of vacationing Italians in summer and many make Bellini Italian Bistro their second home, chatting in Italian to owner Diego Ucciferri and his staff over antipasti platters. The bistro’s namesake drink (invented in the 1940s at Harry’s Bar in Venice by Giuseppe Cipriani) arrives complimentary at all tables, served with fresh focaccia and black olive spread.

Menu highlights include chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail, portabello caps topped with breaded and pan-fried shrimp and fresh seafood, delivered daily. Pan-seared salmon fillet is napped in a lush white wine and Dijon sauce on a bed of spinach with garlic while Seafood stew swims with fish, mussels, shrimp, scallops and calamari in wine and tomato base. Ravioli are stuffed with chunks of Maine lobster in tomato cream sauce (or spinach and ricotta in walnut sauce). Seafood risotto is made with plump starchy arborio rice with scallops, shrimp and bits of asparagus. Potato gnocchi are light as pillows in thick tomato sauce with fresh basil. Burgers, steak, panini, pasta and pizza are also available while panna cotta with berry sauce makes a cool ending in a place that locals and tourists call ‘‘bello.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2010 at 11:06 PM.