Enzo's
1598 County Road 393, Santa Rosa Beach, 267-3003


By Bruce Collier May 31, 2007 Issue

You just might miss Enzo’s while driving south on CR393 in Santa Rosa Beach. The restaurant is part of a row of shops and stores sitting just off the road, with little or no warning to turn off. The management must realize this, because all the takeout menus have a little road map printed on them.

As the name suggests, it’s an Italian restaurant. You can dine in or get carryout. Judging from the steady stream of come-and-go business, pizza is a favorite. The dining room is sort of wedge shaped. “Like cheese,” observed my friend. There are indoor booths, tables, and shaded tables on an outdoor patio. The walls are decorated with paintings, there’s cloth on the tables, and a good measure of low-key elegance.

The menu offers appetizers, salads and antipasti, steaks, intricate pasta choices, house specialties, pizzas, calzone and strombolis. Specials of the day are marked on a board outside the door. A small bar dispenses beer, wine, and coffee.

Our waiter told us the specials, watered and breaded us, and we looked at the menu. The bread comes sliced, with a garlicky tapenade and seasoned garlic and vinegar dip. To start, my friend got shrimp scampi bruschetta and I ordered sausage rapini — sautÈed Italian sausage with spinach, peppers and broccoli.

The size of the appetizers qualified them for entrÈe status, so be advised. The bruschetta were covered with a shrimp each, in a creamy but light garlic butter sauce. My sausage was plentiful, meaty, and laced with colorful red and green peppers and fresh broccoli florets. “I’m full already,” said my friend. The waiter overheard, and told us the kitchen had a good assortment of to-go boxes.

Other appetizers are toasted ravioli, bruschetta portabella, steamed clams, mussels marinara, calamari, crab florentine, and escargot.

We ordered a glass of wine each, and decided to split a Caesar salad — salads and antipasti can be ordered for two, three and four diners. My friend chose chicken parmesan, I decided on veal piccata. Both are served with linguine, though the house is prepared to substitute other kinds of pasta.

The Caesar was good, likewise plentiful, but not terribly exciting. Instead of salad, you might want to consider either a hot or cold antipasto.

Our entrÈes appeared, their size in character for the house. I got my veal sautÈed — fried is also an option. The veal sat on a pile of pasta, dotted with capers and bits of spinach. It was tender, buttery, and satisfying. The breaded chicken parmesan was so big my friend barely ate a third. The chicken was hot, greaseless, and crunchy, even under the sauce.

Other main courses are linguine with eggplant, grouper, shrimp and scallops with pesto, or “alla Enzo,” with eggplant and riccotta. There’s also fettucine, cappellini, spaghetti, penne, or farfalle pasta. All these can be served with marinara, alfredo, roast garlic cream, garlic and oil, tomato and basil cream, or spicy Fra Diavolo sauces. If that doesn’t interest you, there are meat, seafood, or vegetable toppings and sauces.

House specialties include lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, seafood or meat lover’s pastas, and the Big Roma feast, a sampler. Steak is prepared various ways, grilled, blackened, or Tuscan style (with olive oil), topped with gorgonzola, caramelized onions, or mushrooms. Pizza comes in three sizes, with nearly 30 available toppings. Calzones or strombolis can be ordered stuffed with any of the pizza toppings.

Enzo’s has six desserts — cannoli, tiramisu, crËme br°lÈe, ricotta cheesecake, gelato, and key lime pie. They were out of cannoli, so we got tiramisu and wild berry crËme br°lÈe, a special of the day.

The tiramisu was a chunk, creamy and moist, but a little sweeter than I like it. Toasted almonds added a nice crunch. The crËme br°lÈe was exceptional, creamy and mildly sweet, with a crunchy sugar top, studded with fresh blackberries and raspberries.

According to our waiter, Enzo’s started serving lunch and dinner as of Memorial Day weekend. A sign indicated that Sunday brunch is also served. The place may be slightly tucked away, but judging from the diners and the takeout business, the word is out.

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