Silvestro's - Authentic Italian Cuisine

BY GENE CATE
FLORIDA TODAY

Fine dining. Silvestro's Authentic Italian Cuisine restaurant n Cocoa Beach offers a specialty dish of Fettuccine Con Branzino, fettuccine tossed with arugula and crushed tomato with medallions of Chilean sea bass for $21. The restaurant held its grand opening with a charity event to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief Sept. 28. Christina Stuart, FLORIDA TODAY

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Silvestro's
5 palms Address: 2039 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach Phone: 783-4853 Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

There's a new boy on the block and what a welcome addition to the Brevard dining scene.
Chef Silvestro Antonioli of Silvestro's in Cocoa Beach has brought his expertise to the Space Coast, and if a recent dinner there is any indication, his presence will raise area dining to a new level.

This new restaurant is on State Road A1A in the Banana River Square (Publix shopping center) and certainly ups the ante for restaurant decor. Understated elegance -- with crisp linens and quality glassware and utensils -- is the order of the day, but the menu is the star attraction.

Relatively simple yet offering a variety of choices, the bill of fare makes a selection difficult. Fortunately, on the evening in question, we were a party of four with varying tastes which allowed us to sample several items.

Right at the start, the choice of proscuitto and melon with figs ($14), beef carpaccio ($12) or the caprese ($10) posed a problem. The caprese won out and was a fine starter with tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella.

A la carte salads are mixed greens with rock shrimp ($10) or an arugula salad with parmagiano ($12). No others are offered, and we chose to move on to the entrées.

Our orders were as follows: Fettucine alla Carbonera (pasta with smoked bacon, cream and parmigiano, $18), Grilled Filet Mignon over farfalle with crimini mushrooms ($32), Rack of Lamb with truffle-infused mashed potatoes ($30) and Veal Tenderloin with a creamy tomato risotto $30).

When four diners have different entrées and rave about each, someone in the back is doing things well. This was the case at our table. My companion's rack of lamb was as good as I've seen or sampled and my veal tenderloin was of like quality -- cooked exactly to order and simply delicious. My risotto, creamy with just a hint of tomato, was a perfect accompaniment to the grilled veal. The filet was declared to be as good as could be remembered and, likewise, the pasta was perfection.

Against our better judgment, for dessert, we ordered Ricotta Cheesecake, Zabaglione and Chocolate Torte ($10), all of which proved to be of the highest quality. Though we sampled each other's desserts, it was I who ordered the torte and zealously guarded against fork raids by the others. Suffice to say, it was so good that I would drive to Cocoa Beach for the torte and coffee.

The wine list is, of course, heavily Italian with a broad range of prices allowing for a selection to fit the budget. A bottle of Il Tremonte Sangoviese ($42) accompanied our dinner.
If there could be any complaint, it would be that the noise level was slightly high, but I won't fault the restaurant on this account. It's probably that some diners tend to be a bit raucous forgetting that they're in a fine-dining establishment and should act accordingly.

My philosophy is a restaurant of this quality deserves respect in both dress and demeanor and, more importantly, in return will respond with topnotch food and service. Both host Tony Bless and Chef Silvestro were often in evidence throughout the room to ensure patrons were kept happy.

Silvestro's is an upscale, high-end restaurant that offers great food and service and it's worth the price and the drive from anywhere in the area. Reflecting on the evening, I see no reason for anything but a top rating.