Dios mio, what an extravaganza this place is on a Thursday night. I finally hit it up after having it on my to-do list for months. The place is hotter than hot and it reeks of cash and flash. For you old school Boca-ites, this place is owned by the same guy as Mario’s, and rumor has it $5 million was pumped into the space. It shows. The décor is very trendy, upscale and modern with dim lighting (at least on Thursdays). The patrons range anywhere from college kids to some typical Boca swinging 60-somethings. Old men with arm trophies galore, more plastic than a Fisher Price convention. Definitely a see and be seen contingent here, especially as the dining winds down and the boozing crowd picks up. There is a small bar outside for waiting or congregating that offers some seating and waitress service, and there is a bar inside that runs the length of the room which gets slammed later on.
Thanks to that cool cat, Johnny Ramirez, for hooking me up with a little “boost” up the waiting list, as I walked up without a reservation and was saved untold minutes of waiting. Ramirez provides the tunage on Thursdays starting at 10pm, and the house music is pumped through the entire place, inside and out.
Appetizer:
Soup of the day – I can’t recall the exact name, as the place gets pretty loud, but I liked it based off the description from the waiter. Basically a vegetable bisque-like soup with crab meat thrown in. It was decent.
Entrée:
Maccheroni Villeto Bolognese – (pasta Bolognese veal sauce) Split verdict here. The sauce was phenomenal. I could have eaten it plain off my fork. The negative was the pasta which was noticeably undercooked, but edible. I also sampled a little taste of the Atlantic Salmon Agra Dolce, which was good, but I’m not a huge salmon guy. It got an enthusiastic “thumbs up” from my companion.
Dessert:
Vanilla bean crème brulee – “Italian flan with Madagascar bean sugar”. A crème brulee connoisseur I am NOT, but this had to be the best one I think I have ever had. It was not of this world. Perfect temperature, flavor and consistency and served with an assorted side of berries and whip cream. I almost ate the whole thing myself.
Other notes: The service was adequate aside from the fact that the waiter did not realize he forgot to bring a bread basket out until after the entrees were served, and it took a while to get the check. The wine list, oh lordy, is like the Magna Carta. It’s great! The biggest list of Italian wines I’ve seen. The big issue with this place is the price. A lot of the menu is overpriced. There is obviously a lot of overhead and they gouge you a little for it. That’s what makes any mishap like undercooked pasta less forgivable. Still, it was an enjoyable dining experience. If they fine tuned the food service, this could become my favorite place to eat in Boca, although going regularly might require taking out a second mortgage. But it should be noted, I am told the atmosphere might be a little more subdued outside of Thursdays.
Bova
1450 N. Federal Hwy.
Boca Raton, FL
561-362-7407
http://www.ristorantebova.com/