Acquolina – good Italian away from Italy

It’s not every day that you are served lunch on white tablecloths with wine glasses next to water ones and cloth napkins folded like masterpieces. But then again, it’s not every day you share lunch with your grandma.

Since I am not home that often, I sneak in a few lunch dates with my grandma when I am around. Yesterday, she suggested an Italian place in Weston called Acquolina, meaning “mouth watering.”

Italian food is always conducive to hearty laughter, family time and sitting around for hours talking about nothing in particular. Acquolina specializes in southern Italian cooking. The trattoria is formal with clean-cut, white-aproned waiters and candles on each table. The warm blue hues of the restaurant are soothing, even at lunchtime, and hand-painted writing on the wall says something about entering as strangers but leaving as family. Businessmen in suits, fathers and daughters, and stay-at-home moms filled the waterfront eatery at around noon.

Warm bread with oil and vinegar were placed on our table and heavy menus were handed to us. I opened it quickly and gestured our waiter back over to ask if there were a lunch menu. He informed me that I was looking at it. Acquolina had such an extensive lunch list of appetizers, main courses, pasta dishes and flat breads that I mistakenly believed it was the dinner menu.

Italian food, with cheeses and sauces and bread, tends to be heavy. Although midday meals should be heavier than dinners, I simply could not bring myself to indulge too much. After giving the lunch menu a once-over, I had a few plates in mind – a salad, a flat bread and a panini. My grandma was also having a tough time choosing, so we ordered a cobb salad and homemade meatballs to share.

The salad, with mixed greens, buffalo mozzarella and charcoal-grilled chicken tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, was large enough to be our meal. The hot chicken atop the cold, crunchy lettuce left nothing to be desired.

The meatballs were different than expected. They were served on Italian bread and covered in mozzarella like a meatball sub. Not wanting so much bread, I removed the two pieces on my half and ate the meatballs with a fork and knife. The meatballs themselves had just enough cheese to keep them firm, and the marinara sauce was sweet, yet basily. My two meatballs, sans the bread and extra mozzarella cheese, quickly filled me up, especially after the salad. They also spotted my white shirt with red sauce, but I didn't care.

Parmesan-sprinkled fries accompanied the meatball panini, yet my grandma and I were too full to even try them. Once we were done eating, the waiter did not rush us out of the restaurant, which made our dining experience even more enjoyable. When the check came and indicated that our lunch was only about $20, my grandma and I commented on how inexpensive it was for the two of us, especially based on the quality, the good service and the amount of food.

On the way out, I stopped in the bathroom and on the mirror, written in someone’s white eyeliner, it said: “Women in Sicily are like shotguns.” I am not sure if one of the staff wrote it or a patron did, but it made me chuckle. Turns out when you are at Acquolina, you really are family, from the cooked-to-order home-style cooking to the stereotypical Italian quips.

KP’s Crumbs: For a true Italian lunch, this Weston trattoria is perfect. Go with an appetite and try some of their delicious homemade meatballs, but definitely don't wear white. Then, check the bathroom and be sure to let me know if my favorite little ditty is still on the mirror.

My end of the date rate the plate: Normally, forking with your family at romantic restaurants is a huge “no-no,” but Acquolina is an exception. This up-scale establishment is a classy and tasty way to fork and spoon at lunchtime. Though I am not sure about Acquolina’s dinner, at lunch, you certainly get a lot of great bang for your buck.

Acquolina

2320 Weston Road, Weston, Florida, 954-389-1880