Back in November of 2010, I introduced you to one of my all-time favorite restaurants in my area: Casa Ludovico. It happens to hold a special place in my heart not only because of the food, but because it is where Justin and I had our first date AND where he proposed.
We made a visit recently with my parents, and we experienced some new dishes that I wanted to share with you! Drool.
We started with two appetizers. First up: the seafood salad. It contained calamari, shrimp, and scallops, simply dressed and served cold. Justin and my dad were all over this dish. Just look at all the pretty colors and textures!
Meanwhile, I dug into some eggplant wrapped mini meatballs. But not too many: we didn’t want any tummy aches for this non-red meat eater! It was hard though: they were absolutely delicious. Moist, tender, flavorful…addictive.
Casa Ludovico rotates their soups of the day. When we visited this time, the soup happened to be a chicken tortellini.
Yeah: it was good. The tortellini were fluffy and filled with cheese. I would have liked to take a big pot home with me: it was the perfect comfort soup.
For dinner, my mom ordered chicken marsala. Always a delicious option at Casa…
Justin enjoyed the Chef Eduardo’s special pasta. It contains linguine, mushrooms, peas, and incredibly moist and flavorful meatballs in a light cream sauce. I appreciate the fact that Casa Ludovico doesn’t overdo it on the sauces.
My dad ordered one of the specials of the day: gnocchi with seafood. The gnocchi were very small in size, which I enjoyed (large gnocchi with lots of mashed potatoes inside tend to feel overwhelming and heavy to me). They appear black in color because the chef uses squid ink. Kind of cool, huh?
And last but not least…my dish. You are probably familiar with the fact that I have habits when it comes to ordering at restaurants; this is no exception. 99% of the time, I order the Chef Eduardo’s special pizza.
It features thin, grilled crust, sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and prosciutto; the combination is absolutely mouth watering. Simple, delicious, and satisfying. I crave this pizza more than any other one out there; I wish I knew of a way to recreate it exactly at home. Believe me: I’ve tried.
Yum yum yum. I’m hungry again just thinking about this meal. If you happen to be in the Clearwater area, I highly recommend you check out this gem of a restaurant. It is a bit off the beaten path, and they don’t even have a website (which shocks me…hey Casa Ludovico: if you need some social media help…let me know…wink wink), but it is so incredibly wonderful!
Casa Ludovico
1710 Alt 19 Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Phone: 727-784-7779
Do you have a favorite local restaurant? Tell me about it!
I need to try it. I always say that to myself when I see you blog about it or check in there. We are rarely over in Clearwater, but when we are, I’m demanding a dinner lol
I know it’s a bit of a drive from Tampa, but if you’re ever over in the area, definitely stop in there! So yummy.
I have never been. I have seen it plenty of times since I went to PHU, but now a days we don’t usually make it that far north!
We have a ton of favorite local restaurants depending on what we are in the mood for. When we want italian we usually end up at Johnny’s on 590 and we are big fans of Jolli Mons in Dunedin for caribbean flavor (Sunday pitchers of Sangria are $10!!)
I’ve heard about Jolli Mons before but I’ve never been yet! I should look into it… 🙂
makes me want to eat out tonight.. delish!
That pizza looks INSANE. If you ever find a way to recreate it at home, please post the recipe!