Merlino's Restaurant | Boca Raton, FL

Prime Filet, Grilled Veal Chop, Pan Seared Red Snapper, Veal Scaloppini, Chicken Paillard, Shrimp Scampi, Fresh Catch of the Day, Lobster Ravioli, Rigatoni Alla Vodka, Linguine Vongole, Colossal Crabmeat Cocktail, Lollipop Lambchop, Clams Pavarotti, Extensive Wine List in Downtown Boca Raton

Dishes prepared for tasting included a flavorful shrimp marinara with jumbo shrimp over pasta, a moist grilled salmon in a dill beurre blanc sauce, pan-fried meatballs, and sausage and grilled veggies with a spicy broccoli rabe. Complimentary Valet from 4pm until closing.

The menu offers 16 pasta dishes, from rigatoni with Sunday gravy, to linguine pescatore and lobster ravioli, all in the low to mid-$20s. Diners can also choose from nine seafood and fish entrees, including snapper puttanesca, most in the low $30s. Lobster is a bit more. Chicken dishes include cacciatore, piccata, parmagiana and several others, all in the $20s. Veal, steak, lamb and pork entrées also include a braciole, a rolled meat dish, and prices range from the high $20s to the $40s.

Appetizer offerings are thorough, from clams and mussels to beef carpaccio and crab cakes, with a sumptuous antipasto with meats and cheeses we enjoyed at the bar. The chef wants to make sure everyone saves room for desserts that include tiramisu, homemade cannoli, a pitzel ice cream sandwich, cheesecake and tartufo, washed down by cappuccino and espresso, of course.

Award-winning "beverage scientist" Lee Hoechstetter offered The LCB Line, named for Philadelphia Flyers' Reggie Leach, Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, with Woodford Reserve bourbon, two fruits and a homemade herb-infused syrup. He's using fresh and house-made syrups and infusions in all the drinks, from other specialties with Philly names to classics like margaritas and mojitos, he said.

An extensive wine list and wines by the glass are meant to educate palates away from hum-drum Pinot Grigios to Italian Super Tuscans and Brunellos, Hoechstetter said. This is a white tablecloth restaurant, by the way, with valet parkers at their corner at 39 SE First Ave. It seats 120 in the dining room, 20 outside and 30 at the bar with TVs.

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