DINING VisitSPC.com/Dining VILLA GALLACE ITALIAN BONU' TAVERNA • St. Petersburg; $$ • This Central Avenue restaurant offers casual Italian fare in a lively setting (which gets livelier as the evening wears on). The speciality of the house is pinsas, oblong Roman-style pizzas topped with everything from mortadella with pistachios to spicy calabrese salami and mozzarella. It can also be tempting to cobble together a meal with cured meats and cheeses and tasty “piccoli piatti” — small, shared plates of snacks like marinated anchovies, mixed olives and crispy-fried artichoke hearts. IL RITORNO • St. Petersburg; $$$ • This fine dining Italian restaurant in downtown St. Pete has been around for several years but still feels modern and of-the-moment with a constantly evolving menu that hinges on the freshest ingredients and impressive kitchen techniques. A daily five-course chef’s tasting menu offers the best of what the chef has in store that day, from a hamachi crudo with yuzu and grilled pineapple to a foie gras carbonara with crispy duck skin. MAZZARO’S ITALIAN MARKET • St. Petersburg; $ • The popular St. Pete market offers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience with gourmet grocery aisles that are every bit worth the hype. Come here and spend hours browsing the massive cheese selection, fine wine assortment, fresh seafood and sprawling butcher case. Or pop in for a lunchtime treat and peruse the deli counter, stocked high with prepared treats like lasagna, roasted pork loin, chicken piccata and homemade pastas and sauces to-go. NONA SLICE HOUSE • Safety Harbor; $$ • You’re not just getting pizza at this downtown Safety Harbor restaurant — you’re getting a show. At some point on most evenings, the owner will come out and do a little performance, spinning and swirling the pizza dough high in the air, often to the musical styles of a live performer. Several different types of pizza are served here, but the best bet is the Detroit-style pies — thick, square pizzas baked with Wisconsin brick cheese. PIA’S TRATTORIA • Gulfport; $$ • Pia’s features all the hallmark characteristics of a rustic and cozy neighborhood trattoria and the space just oozes romance. An evolving menu features creative spins on Italian classics like capellini pomodoro and buttery shrimp scampi over homemade linguine, eggplant Parmesan and plump blue crab ravioli with a brown butter sauce. The restaurant also has plenty of vegan dishes and gluten-free pastas. 78 AMERICA’S BEST BEACHES
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