Age is a relative thing in Florida. While there are certainly plenty of retirees "of a certain age" in the area, businesses are another matter. A restaurant with a decade of service is a good thing. Two decades qualifies as amazing. Vulcano's of Tequesta is past the twenty-year mark, open for dinner only, and literally a cornerstone of one of the town's oldest shopping plazas.
With only fifteen tables inside, Vulcano's comes across as rather fancy dining, with white tablecloths and napkins, heavy flatware, dim lighting and well-dressed waitstaff. It's a lovely first date type of place, and intimate enough for Valentine's Day, or any special occasion. But you're welcome to go in dressed as you are. Vulcano's is small enough to feel like Nonna's dining room, but the kitchen has the talent to offer a diversity of dishes beyond the usual pizza-and-red-sauce classics. The specials included non-Italian dishes (duck breast and rainbow trout) and the regular menu offered everything from classic pastas, pizzas, fish, veal and chicken to items such as shrimp with Sambuca, broccoli rabe, penne Puttanesca, and their own pappardelle Vulcano (a mix of fresh and sundried tomatoes, garlic, artichokes, calamata olives, fresh mozzarella and basil).
There are some simple and nice touches that set Vulcano's apart from other restaurants: salads are served on cool, not ice-cold plates; pizza is brought to the table on a small, separate side table, rather than on a metal stand that takes up space on the diners' table; sauces are light enough to allow the ingredients to be seen and tasted. The Companion's Fettucine Alla Papalina (peas and prosciutto in a cream sauce) had a perfect balance of sauce to noodles, with no puddle at the bottom of the bowl. And the careful saucing rule is also followed when it comes to Vulcanos' excellent garlic rolls. No grease pool or huge chunks of garlic. Just fresh, light rolls that taste of garlic, rather than reek of it.
Service is in keeping with a white-tablecloth establishment: formal and attentive, yet not overbearing. The pace of courses was well-timed, drinks were refilled promptly and used dishes were cleared promptly.
Prices are in keeping with fine-dining levels, but for the attentiveness of the staff, the family-cozy surroundings and the quality, this is money well-spent. Pasta dishes are priced from $12-$20, chicken, veal and fish entrees are priced from $20-$26 and pizzas from $12 to $13 for the classic pies and $16 to $19 for specialty pizzas.
The plaza that Vulcano's calls home has other dining choices, and the village has become something of a fine dining mecca, thanks to a number of new restaurant openings in the past few years. But there's something special about a place that's been around since 1990, offering fine food in a formal atmosphere, yet still welcoming to the jeans-and-T-shirt crowd.
Vulcano's 221 U.S. Highway 1, (Village Square Plaza), Tequesta, FL. Phone (561) 747-2880. Hours: open 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Catering, takeout and children's menu available.
Website: http:http://www.vulcanosristorante.com/index.htm
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