Bugatti: The Art of Pasta

This cozy Gables spot has been a neighborhood favorite for more than twenty years, and for good reason: The service is personable and professional, the food is fresh and appealing, the room is comfortable, and prices are moderate. Bugatti is mostly about pastas, which feature obligatory favorites, from carbonara to clam sauce, finessed with a crowd-pleasing panache. The plates are artlessly artful -- meaning that aesthetic beauty is to be found in the quality of ingredients, preparation, and taste. Not that the comestibles aren’t comely -- tagliolini carbonara is pretty as a picture, thin, fresh strings of homemade egg noodles festively colored with an outer ring of punchy pimiento sauce and a bulls eye of reduced cream. Spaghetti al cartoccio showcases further strokes of ingenuity, the cooked pasta wrapped in parchment paper and baked with clams, tomatoes, parsley, lots of garlic, and white wine -- our bag o’noodles arrived at the table emitting aromatic puffs of steam that would make a locomotive train envious. Bugatti’s lasagna, served only on the first Wednesday of every month, is the best in Florida -- a delicate layering of fresh, chewy noodles with sumptuously mild minced beef and veal, and a smooth, white Mornay sauce. After recent renovations a new menu was issued with non-pasta entrées such as chicken saltimbocca and an especially toothsome special of Scottish salmon with cabbage, pancetta, and veal fond. Bugatti gives diners just what they want, which is why they’re still going strong after two decades.

• Cuisine(s): Italian

  Hours: Sun 5:30pm-10:30pm, Mon-Sat 11:30am-10:30pm

  Price: $$

  Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express

• Attire: Casual

  Features: Business Dining

  Serving: Dinner, Lunch

  Alcohol: Beer/Wine

• Reservations: Accepted, Not Necessary

  Parking: Meters