Everyone has different environments that they like and those that they don’t. For me, I fail to see the appeal of South Florida. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale represent no seasons, humidity and rain all the time, traffic, crowds and dirty neighborhoods. While in Ft. Lauderdale we stayed at the Courtyard East/Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Someday, when they get the renovations that they were promised before the pandemic, it will be a great place to stay. BUT, I am a foodie and if anything can change my opinion of a place, it’s food. Drive 10 minutes from this hotel and you’ll find a reason to stay longer in Ft. Lauderdale.
I have found a reason to return to Ft. Lauderdale again and again. That reason is Dolce Salato Pizza and Gelato on Wilton Drive. Leonardo and Silvia Baldi run this little slice of heaven (forgive the bad pun) in the Ft. Lauderdale neighborhood of Wilton Manors in. The restaurant name means salty and sweet. It’s the perfect name for the perfect menu.
While they do serve calzones, hot sandwiches, lasagna and more, they specialize in pizza and gelato. As my regular readers know, my husband and I have spent time in Italy more than once. In fact, my husband lived there for three months in 2018. We know our pizza and we know our gelato. When we walked in, my husband immediately said to me, “This reminds me of that little place in Aviano we used to go to all the time.” That was a good place for our lunch to start.
The casual vibe of bright colors, plastic chairs and only half a dozen indoor tables say, “I’m your neighborhood pizzeria.” The pies come in two sizes – 16 inches and 12 inches. My husband ordered a 12-inch pepperoni ($11.00). He is a traditionalist, but he also knows that when testing a new restaurant sometimes it’s best to try something traditional and not go too crazy. In their glass case, they had about six pizzas ready for customers to order by-the-slice. I decided to try that route. I ordered one slice of pepperoni ($3.00) and one slice of white pizza ($3.95), which I was attracted to because of the huge dollop of ricotta on top of each slice.
Truthfully, I couldn’t pick a favorite. The pepperoni was salty and meaty. The white pizza was heavy on the garlic, just the way I like it. All the pizza had thin, crispy crusts like a good pizza should. They didn’t skimp on the toppings, but they didn’t add so many that the slices got soggy or turn the crust floppy.
While we waited for our pizzas, I inspected the gelato case. . . a lot. Francesca and Delia started handing me mini samples over the counter. One after another, they said, “Try the Nocciola (Hazelnut). Try the Nutella. Try the Boston Cream.” Finally, I had to call “uncle” and I said,
“Wait. I need to leave room for pizza!” Clearly there is great pride in the product here.
Mrs. Baldi confirmed that they do make their gelato in-house. For those who are new to the gelato concept, the difference between gelato and ice cream lies in a few key factors.
- Gelato uses more milk and less cream. Gelato is smoother, silkier and much denser than ice cream.
- Gelato has less air in it than ice cream and it uses less butterfat. Butterfat coats your palate and makes the flavors harder to discern.
- Gelato is served a few degrees warmer than ice cream. This, again, makes it easier to truly taste the flavors because your mouth is less numb. Think about it, don’t you taste ice cream less at the end of a big serving than you do at the beginning? That’s because your mouth has gone numb.
- One final detail: true gelato is served with a spade and not scooped.
Ultimately, I ordered a small cup for $4.00. This contained a mound of both Nocciola and Nutella gelato. I have a friend who says her happy place is the beach. My happy place is anywhere where I can get a meal that’s like artwork. If the food is made with high-quality ingredients and pride (and is usually Italian food) then I am in my happy place.
Mr. and Mrs. Baldi left Torino, Italy because it was too cold. In the early 2000’s they traveled around America and fell in love with south Florida. That was a lucky turn of events for me because I have finally found a reason to enjoy my visits to Ft. Lauderdale. Sure, Ft. Lauderdale has the beach, but who needs the beach when you can visit Italy every day at lunch time? You know where you can find me.
Do you have a food-related happy place? Do you have suggestions of other culinary masterpieces in Ft. Lauderdale that I should try? Tell me in the comments.
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