Restaurant Review: Pagelli's Cucina in Estero, Florida

Living or vacationing on the west side of Florida? Looking for a great Italian Restaurant? This place has a great atmosphere, great entertaining, and great food. The restaurant is Pagelli's Cucina located at 8017 Plaza Del Lago #101, Estero Florida in the Coconut Point-Lakeside shops. There is plenty of parking (it is a shopping mall parking) and several handicap parking. The restaurant is nestled in the back of the walkway. The ambience is Italian elegance, romantic and fun. There is indoor and outdoor seating, the outdoor seating has a beautiful view of a lake and sunsets.

The restaurant hours are as follows: Monday through Thursday 4 pm-10pm, Friday through Saturday 4pm-11pm and Sunday 12pm-10pm. The restaurant features outdoor entertainment Wednesday through Sunday and Happy Hour from 4pm to 6pm. There Poco Piatto (appetizers) range from $8.00-$14.00, Insalata and Zuppa (salad and soup) range from $5.00-$15.00, Cose Speciale (specialty dish) range from $10.00-$32.00, From the Grill range from $16.00-$27.00, Pastas range from $11.00-$16.00, their Brick Oven range from $8.00-$11.00 and Dolce (sweets) are $6.00. They accept all major credit cards, no personal checks accepted. Reservations accepted .

Diners: Myself Zsa Zsa, Chet, Little Chet, and Chet's Madre.

We went on Friday around 6pm. We were fortunate to get a table outdoor with no reservation . The turn over outside during the weekend is low. People will dine and stay for the show. So if you want to sit outside and see the show call ahead. Friday's entertainer was Frank Torino, he sang oldies but goodies. His personality is so magnetic that he brings the dancing fool out of everyone.

We started out with drinks to take advantage of Happy Hour. I recommend looking through their extensive wine list, the drinks on the menu are not included in Happy hour. The waitress brought freshly baked sour dough bread with an olive oil, basil, and parmesan dip. The dipping sauce was light and perfect for the freshly baked bread. We started with the Zuppa Del Gior no (soup of the day), a cheese and broccoli soup. The soup was full of flavor, rich and creamy. It was a huge portion and enough to be a meal by itself. If you chose a salad, the restaurant prides itself of making all their dressing in house from scratch.

Chet's Madre ordered the Eggplant Parmesan as a main dish. The eggplant was lightly breaded and fried. It is then layered in Romano and mozzarella cheese, pomodoro sauce and fresh basil. The dish was perfectly executed, the eggplant was not squish but tender in a sauce that did not over power the taste of the eggplant. The melted cheese was gooey and delicious. This meal was paired up with a regular Margarita.

Little Chet and Myself decided to try out their Brick Oven specialty pizza. We chose the Paisano Pizza, a thin crusted pizza with pizza sauce, milk mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian sausage, soppresatta and basil. Crunchy, salty and sweet all at the same time. The sausage was freshly made, there was several pieces of pepperoni, the sauce was made with fresh tomatoes. Each ingredient worked with one another and no left over. I paired the pizza with an Italian Margarita; Jose Cuervo, Disarrono, Sour Mix, and Lime Juice with sugar rim. Very tasty and always drink responsible.

Chet ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken for an extra $3.00. The fettuccine was al dente and the sauce was creamy and smooth. A sprinkle of parmesan cheese topped this classic dish. They did not skimp on the sauce There was enough sauce to dip your sourdough bread if there was any left. The portion was big and enough for two people to enjoy.

This restaurant has a delightful atmosphere especially during entertainment night. The food is very good and service is good. Just a note: while writing this article, I reviewed my receipt and realized that I was over charged for most of the drinks. I called the restaurant and spoke to the manager, Richard. He politely explained that it was an err and gave me a refund of the difference. I guess they use two different price lists, one that is stated on the wine list and the other that needs to be told to you by your waiter.

The rating: Out of "Must Bite"(Excellent), "Bite this"(must try), "Take a Bite"(hit or miss),"little bites"(go at your own risk),and "This bites"(sucks)....we give Pagelli's Cucina Restaurant an overall rating of Bite This.