Quietly, Pannullo’s Italian Restaurant is also celebrating its silver anniversary at its Park Avenue address. It’s not the oldest along the avenue — Cafe de France and Briarpatch outdate it — but its 25-year achievement is worth noting.

Also worth noting: It may have been 25 years since I last dined there, or pretty close. I’m not entirely sure why that is, but knowing of the anniversary and needing a place to meet a friend for lunch, I decided to stop in.

Mom and Papa sort of Italian restaurant.

f you walked through Peperoncino’s front door and took too many steps you’d find yourself back outside through the little restaurant’s back door.

But what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in charm and, more important, the food. In the realm of Italian restaurants in Central Florida, few offer the sort of authentic experience that Peperoncino does. If you’re sitting in a spot that allows a view of the Dellagio’s central plaza, you might think you’re on a piazza looking at one of the fountains of Rome.

And don’t expect the food to bring you back to reality. It is expertly crafted from recipes cooked in the kitchens of the chef/owner Barbara Alfano’s grandmothers and is lovingly replicated here. Every bite is a veritable travelogue.

An “Italianish” restaurant from the owner of Pig Floyd’s Barbacoa. There are some barbecue and Italian fusion items but fewer than you’d expect.

A quick-serve restaurant that not only serves a decent slice of pizza pie but also has very good sandwiches.

From the folks at Luma on Park, Prato is an Italian concept that features a wood-burning pizza oven and pizzaiola station in the dining room. Pizzas are good, though the thin crusts tend to char easily if not watched closely. Pasta is made fresh in-house, and most pasta dishes are available in half portions, a dandy idea.
Prato’s decor is rustic and casual. This is currently the hottest restaurant in town, and can be quite crowded. Expect waits, even for bar seating.

This second location of Maine restaurateur Melissa Kelly recently underwent a remodel. The decor is brighter and more modern, but the food remains focused on traditional Italian fare with local ingredients, some sourced from the garden next to the kitchen.

Good pizzas have been coming out of the oven at this address for years, but only recently as Ragazzi’s. The crust — so important to a proper pizza — was just thick enough to hold the weight of the toppings, which were considerable. Besides pizza, Ragazzi’s does some pretty delicious Italian specialties, as well. I loved the meatball appetizer, which really could have served as an entree all on its own. Not only were the meat orbs well formed and firm, they also were simmered in a red sauce that was thick and tomatoey and worth spooning on its own. also had the eggplant parmigiana, a nicely done slice of eggplant dipped in egg wash and dusted with flour, fried to a golden crisp and then topped with melted mozzarella. Even better: it included a side dish of pasta with more of that wonderful marinara.

The Four Seasons Resort’s three-mealer has an impersonal and cold decor, and the food is only marginal (deep-fried veal Milanese?). Other than that…

This restaurant is not currently recommended.