Il Contadino Ristorante
165 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach, 561-330-0004,
Five years after appearing on Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares,” Michel Menna has debuted this eatery, named for “the Farmer” in Italian, in the former Sefa Turkish Mediterranean Grill in Pineapple Grove.
“A few years forward, and I’m taking some pointers from Gordon and implementing them,” says Menna, who was featured on the Ramsay show while working at his ex-wife’s restaurant, Anna Vincenzo’s Ristorante, in Boca Raton.
The results? Showy garnishes and fresh ingredients, particularly in specials, some prepared tableside, such as duck with Grand Marnier sauce. Traditional dinner highlights include eggplant Napoleone with ricotta and house-made mozzarella ($10), roasted rack of veal (market price), penne Vincenzo with shrimp and salmon in lobster cream sauce ($28) and scarpariello on the bone for two with house-made sausage — either chicken ($52) or double-cut pork chops ($56).
Lunch and dinner are served daily amid an intimate ambiance of chandeliers, terrazzo floor, sheer gold drapes and vibrant paintings on pale key lime walls. A burgundy awning partially covers mosaic tables on the sidewalk. Menna once owned Ponte Vecchio in Fort Lauderdale.
—Susan Bryant
