Tampa Dining Out Third Anniversary Party at Gratzzi Baywalk (01/10/2009)

On Saturday night, the Tampa Dining Out Meetup Group, led by my friend Erica, celebrated its third anniversary at Gratzzi Ristorante in the Baywalk Entertainment Complex of St. Petersburg, Fl. I had not ever been to this restaurant, and when Erica posted the menu on the group's site, it really intruiged me to no end.

We got to the restaurant a little bit late, as we were late picking up friends of ours. The wine was flowing, the conversation was boisturous, and it was great to catch up with friends, as well as meet new ones.

Here is a slideshow of some of the foods that we had that night:

Here is a run-down of the menu that we could select our foods from:

Appetizers:
Carpaccio di Manzo Thin slices of raw tenderloin with arugula, red onions, Dijon mustard, capers, shaved imported parmigiano and infused tuscan olive oil.
Calamari Fritti Crisp, fried tender squid served with marinara sauce.
Eggplant Rollatine Fried breaded eggplant stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and basil. Baked with tomato sauce and cheese.
Carciofini alla Romana Baby whole artichokes stuffed with herbed mascarpone cheese, breaded and fried. Served with asiago cheese sauce.

Salads:
Insalata di Spinaci Fresh baby spinach tossed with wild mushroom warm maple pancetta vinaigrette, pickled red onion, candied walnuts and sprinkled with goat cheese.
Insalata Caprese Buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, basil, oregano and roasted peppers.
Insalata di Cesare Crisp romaine lettuce tossed with our Caesar dressing, croutons and parmigiano cheese. (Chicken or Shrimp extra)
House Salad Mixed greens, roasted peppers, tomatoes, sweet onions and black olives. Served with house dressing.

Entrees:
Mostaccioli Primavera Penne like pasta, broccoli, artichokes, grilled eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms sautéed with shallots and garlic. Tossed in a cream sauce.
Pappardelle alla Pugliese Wide egg fettuccine pasta tossed with chicken, pancetta, wilted spinach, roasted tomatoes and porcini mushrooms in cream asiago sauce.
Lingune Pescatore Shrimp, sea scallops and mussels in a vodka tomato cream sauce.
Lasagna al Forno Homemade layered pasta with ricotta, mozzarella, meat and sausage in a pomodoro sauce.
Pollo Parmigiana Breaded chicken breast topped with mozzarella and pomodoro sauce. Side of linguine with pomodoro sauce.
Saltimbocca Cosa Nostra Sautéed veal with shallots, mushrooms, prosciutto, spinach, fontina cheese, wine, sage and butter sauce.
Filet Mignon Oak-grilled center cut filet served with a barolo wine sauce.
Gratzzi Salmon alla Oscar Broiled Atlantic salmon with crabmeat, shrimp and asparagus with a herb lemon butter sauce.

My entree, the Pollo Parmigiana, was paired with a 2007 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, and my dessert, a Chocolate Flourless Tort, was paired with a 2007 Relax Riesling.

We took some hysterical pictures after the dinner was over, and all in all, celebrated good times with good friends, good food, and good wine.

Enjoy!