La Dolce Vitta, Belmar, NJ:
A Restaurant Review
400 Ocean Ave
Belmar, NJ 07719
732-749-3177
Website
Restaurant Highlights
Fare: Southern Italian
Price: Moderate - Expensive
Food Quality: 2 Stars
Service: 1 1/2 Stars
Decor: 2 1/2 Stars
Overall Rating: 2 Stars
Note: Four star Rating System from 1/2 Star = poor to Four stars = Best in Class
Value: Good
Noise Level: Moderate - Loud
Dress: Casual
Recommended For: For dinners who enjoy well prepared traditional Southern Italian food at a reasonable price
Not Recommended For: For dinners who enjoy high end, creatively prepared gourmet food in a trendy setting
Recommended dishes: When available, The Rack of Lamb Oven roasted with fresh herb-encrusted baby rack of lamb, served atop Parmigiano polenta and broccoli rabe, finished with a cognac Demi-glace; The Halibut al Pistachio, Pistachio encrusted halibut served over wild mushrooms risotto, sautéed spinach and white truffle butter; and The Fettuccini Dolce Vita, Homemade fettuccini with sautéed onions, peas, shiitake mushrooms, prosciutto, shrimp, with a touch of tomato sauce, cream and Parmigiano cheese.
Liquor: Full service, with a limited selection of reasonably priced wines, beer, and cocktails
Restaurant Review
La Dolce Vita is an Italian oceanfront restaurant, popular with diners who come to enjoy traditional Southern Italian food in a family friendly setting.
Family owned and operated by two generations. Both ZIO (uncle) Giuseppe Salpietro and Nipote (nephew) Nicola Fuccilli, have created many of their dishes from family traditions from Sicily.
Located across the beach, the restaurant offers views of the ocean from the interior dining areas and an outdoor, canopied patio, which is enclosed in during inclement weather.
The interior has a small marble bar with redwood wine racks behind it.The dining area has some elegant features including a coffered ceiling and the attractive glass lighted wall serving as an artful wine rack as well as a separator from the bar area. Tables set white linen tablecloths and china. There is a fireplace offering a nice, cozy feeling during the colder months, and large windows with a view of the beachfront and people watching. Soft background Italian music adds to the Italian atmosphere.
Acoustics are poor -----noise level can get high during busy evening hours making conversation difficult.
The food is a notch above other Belmar Italian restaurants and though well prepared, it lacks little or no creativity in offering any inspiring dishes.
Service is friendly and attentive, though it can be inconsistent and spotty, depending on your server.
Child friendly with a Kids menu.
La Dolce Vitta is open seven days/week for lunch and dinner beginning at 11:00 AM
Happy hour is daily from 3PM – 7PM, at the bar only
(updated June, 2017)
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