Return to Sorrento

Not only does Pescatore's decor evoke the stunning beauty of Italy, its food transports diners to the Mediterranean.

by Frederick J. Krantz

Recently, a friend and I went to dinner at Pescatore Restaurant, a smart eatery on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. Since the restaurant opened last October, it has become a landmark among the numerous new attractions of the downtown renaissance. After being seated, we looked around at the room, admiring its wealth of dazzling tile work, delicate wrought-iron mirrors and varnished, wooden French doors — some of which open out onto the sidewalk where additional tables are positioned.

"Doesn't this put you in mind of the Amalfi Coast?" my friend, a well-seasoned traveler, asked.

Below Naples — along Italy's Amalfi Coast — in towns such as Positano, Sorrento and Ravello, villas cling to the rocky slopes like nesting swallows and gaze out at the sun-dappled Mediterranean. These picturesque — and, at times, almost Moorish — houses, ramble down the steep-seaside terrain, linked by zephyr-swept terraces on which flourish jade plants, hydrangea bushes, bougainvillea and lemon arbors. Everywhere — on floors, walls, banci, fountains — are the tiles: brilliant, hand-painted glazed squares in all sizes, cloaked in rich terra-cotta earth tones, washed with white and swirled with heady, sweeping designs.

At Pescatore, the same type of tiles adorn table-tops, counters and floors. Combined with the cheerful echoes of glasses clinking, diners conversing and the fragrant aromas of basil, tomato and olive oil wafting from the plate of bruschetta (which had just been placed in front of us), the profusion of colorful tiles transported us to the loggia of a trattorìa romàntica on the Amalfi Coast.

To sustain our Neapolitan reverie, my companion and I ordered the light, crisp Italian white, Pinot Grigio, Stival ($5 a glass).

Shortly afterward, we were joined by Pescatore's 40-year-old chef, Saïd Halim. Chef Halim, an Egyptian, is encouraged by the business the restaurant has garnered since it opened. "Everything is beautiful," he said, his dark eyes sparkling. "A lot of new places are opening up in the area. In a few months the place is going to be hot, hot, hot." From the look of the room — by now, filled — and by the number of people gathering in Centennial Square (just outside the restaurant), the chef's prediction seemed to have been realized.

Situated at the bottom of Clematis Street where it crosses Narcissus, the restaurant is at the hub of the downtown area. The new home of the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training (BRITT) is directly across the street.

Halim told us his mother inspired him to become a cook. "My mother is a great chef," he said. "She worked in a big hotel in Cairo. I worked with her and soon realized how much I really loved to cook."

This love of cooking ultimately brought Halim to New York where he got a job at Bistro 79, on West 79th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. There, he met Executive Chef Gerard Milone. Milone, whom Halim describes as one of the top chefs in New York, taught him basic French cooking and gave him his culinary start in America. From Bistro 79, Halim moved on to several good Italian restaurants before becoming chef at the original Pescatore on 51st Street on New York's East Side. After working at the restaurant for several years, Halim established an excellent reputation and drew many discriminating New York diners to the restaurant. When Pescatore's owner decided to open a branch in West Palm Beach, he chose Halim to run the operation.

We asked Halim about the food at Pescatore. "Our food is basically seafood," he said. "It is light, tasty, unusual — everything has a 'special touch.'"

I asked if that "special touch" meant Egyptian.

"No," he smiled. "It's basically Northern Italian, with a little bit of French in it. Here, everything is made on the premises," he said. "Even the desserts."

At the chef's suggestion, we began our meal with two Pescatore favorites. Shrimp Dori ($7.50), a generous portion of lightly breaded shrimp, was served with a delicious sauce made from white wine, garlic and lemon. The other — tender, deep-fried Calamari ($6) — was mounded on a plate striped with soy sauce and accompanied by a lively tomato sauce flavored with scallions and red pepper. Both dishes were garnished with a nest of deep-fried beet threads.

From the antipasti freddi section of Pescatore's menu, we sampled antipasto Caprese ($5.95), a delightful presentation of fresh, home-made mozzarella, roasted peppers, basil and extra-virgin olive oil.

A fascinating and toothsome carrot/ginger — the zuppa del giorno — ($4) was the miracle of the evening. "You must try this soup," Halim said. "Its taste is out of this world." He was right.

From the Pescatore pasta canon, we sampled Angolotti zafferano ($9.50) a comforting dish of pasta shaped into half moons, stuffed with ricotta and wild mushrooms and gilded with a haunting saffron sauce.

Naturally, for entrées, we both selected fish dishes. A sizable portion of grilled tuna ($16.95), served with capers and a white wine/lemon sauce, was tasty and memorable, but it was the delicately flavored Norwegian salmon — baked in cartoccio (in parchment) with herbs and a champagne sauce — that was so exquisite, we felt as if we should have danced a tarantella after taking just one bite.

"This is one of my favorite dishes of all time," Halim said of the salmon. Chosen from the complete-dinner side of Pescatore's menu, the price of the salmon dish is $16.95, which includes appetizer and dessert.

All Pescatore entrées come with vegetables. On the night we dined there, they were sugar-snap peas and mashed potatoes. With our main courses, we sampled the pointed, fruity California chardonnay: Epoch ($5 a glass).

Pescatore desserts were equally compelling. A plate of profiteroles, stuffed with raspberry ice cream made by Halim, was nothing short of divine. The chocolate divinity — a deadly rich chocolate cake — was so tempting, it could cause Botticelli angels to transgress. (All desserts, $6.)

Pescatore Restaurant, 200 Clematis St., West Palm Beach, (561) 837-6633.