Okay, after the year it took us to get around to trying Dolce Vita - the Italian restaurant everyone in New Smyrna Beach is talking about - I can honestly say forget-about-it!
I just got back from my birthday dinner. I pretended to enjoy it, since the other three people in my party seemed to enjoy it. Service was amateur at best, but that's the norm these days so no problem. We started with the usual bread and plate of oil - I may be spoiled by Bellini's in North Conway serving really nice oil and a side of cheese, but this oil was horrible and so was the bread. I guess the Docle Vita in New Smyrna Beach is just no Bellini's! My friends ordered various veal dishes and they seemed happy. I ordered garlic shrimp served on a bed of angel hair - I got 4 (yes, just 4) tough, really overcooked garlic shrimp on a bed of linguine. Very bland and as amateur as the server. For dessert I had the very rich and decadent chocolate cheesecake, which was predictable and delicious, but obviously comes frozen from Sysco, not a homemade something to rave about as one might expect in such a place. It desperately needed a nice strong coffee to help it down. Their coffee was so weak, Sal sent his back - when was the last time you were so sad you had to send back a coffee?! It looked like weak tea, and tasted like Sanka the best I can remember. Why bother?! The Dolce Vita is very Italian owned and operated, and I know they would not drink this coffee at their house so why do they serve it?! For $150, with only one bottle of $25 wine, not great value - I will not return to the Dolce Vita. We're back to our favorite New Smyrna restaurant - The Atlantis Grill on Flagler - great food, great atmosphere, reasonable prices, and a short walk to the ocean and the Flagler Coffeehouse for a nightcap.
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