Prato
Prato Meatballs – Roasted Tomato, Cipollini Agrodolce, Mascarpone Polenta
Pretzel-crusted Calamari – Salsa Rossa, Grain Mustard Aioli
Diavolo Pizza – Pepperoni, Pancetta, Italian Long Peppers, Provolone Piccante
Short Rib Tortellini – Carrot, Cauliflower, Date, Mustard Seed
Potato Gnocchi – Truffle Butter, Parmesan, Pangrattato
Mustard Spaghettini “Cacio e Pepe” – Radicchio, Speck, Balsamico
Butternut Squash Ravioli – Brown Butter, Swiss Chard, Candied Pecan
Farm Egg Rigatoni – “Fatta Su” Bolognese, Basil, Barolo
Considered by many to be greater-Orlando’s best contemporary Italian eatery, Prato has occupied 124 North Park Avenue in Winter Park since 2011, the COVID-19 pandemic doing little to slow Chef Brandon McGlamery’s crowds or creativity.
Open for both lunch and dinner, menus similar but centered around an open kitchen featuring wood-fired Acunto ovens imported from Naples, it is amidst spacious confines that plates are created from local Produce and sustainably-sourced Protein, a starter of Meatballs tender and unctuous but brightened by Onions and Sauce over creamy Cornmeal.
Ordering Calamari at the request of a youngster, its texture bolstered by crumbled Pretzels alongside dueling Dips, it was straight from the aforementioned oven that Pizza arrived blistered but under-leavened and thus lacking a developed cornicione despite otherwise good flavor.
Skipping over Sandwiches and Entrees, and investing instead in five half-portions of Pasta that are easily sharable, little about McGlamery’s approach will satisfy purists, while those instead seeking complexity will most certainly find it in Short Rib Tortellini that pairs the flavors of Pot Roast with Dates and Mustard or “Cacio e Pepe” seeing bitter Radicchio foiled by aged Balsamic.
Not forgetting Gnocchi, tender Dumplings slicked by Truffle Butter with Breadcrumbs, Butternut Squash Ravioli struck a seasonal chord before wrapping with house-extruded Rigatoni topped in Bolognese fortified by Barolo.
www.prato-wp.com
