Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Classic Italian inspired by Grandma
Trattoria Novello
2665 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach, 954-876-1915, Trattoria Novello.com
A trio of sibling restaurateurs from Montreal have debuted this traditional Italian restaurant in the former Polish Deli Pyza.
“We took everything we know from home,” says Joey Perez, owner with Laura and Jack Perez. “Our grandma’s cooking is one. We brought her homemade famous meatballs and rice balls along with us [both $12]. We offer a range of homemade, fresh pasta.”
Highlights include antipasto Novello with meats, cheeses, vegetables and foccacia ($18, $34); grilled or fried calamari ($14-$15); thin-crust clam-and-shrimp pizza ($18); chicken or veal parmigiana ($21, $24); branzino alla Siciliana ($32); and grilled rib-eye ($33). Eleven pastas include gnocchi with choice of sauce and risotto of the day (market price).
Dinner is served nightly amid stone walls, light granite bar, brown chairs and brown and white double tablecloths. Contemporary sconces separate Italianthemed paintings, including one of their grandfather from Cattolica Eraclea in Sicily. An awning shelters sidewalk seating.
“Pompano Beach has been like a home for the longest time, and to be able to bring a passion I share to Pompano Beach is a great feeling,” Perez says. “The area is stunning, and it is only going to get better.”