Cucina D'Angelo (2 forks/$21pp)

We visited Cucina D'Angelo (http://cucinadangelo.com/) today for lunch. The weather was perfect for a delicious italian lunch and our table overlooked a fountain and peaceful courtyard. The menu was fantastic and the server was pleasant. The day seemed ideal for trying this highly-rated restaurant.

We were drooling for bread as we walked past Opus 5's bread basket and were quite disappointed when our hard cold tasteless slices came out with icy hard butter. The pasta fagiole was more a bowl of salty beans than soup.

Joanne was tempted by the daily special ($16.95) with soup or salad, veal or fish of the day, and pasta. She chose the veal, which the waiter declared the best in Boca. The plate was a bit small for the price, but Joanne declared the veal very tender. It was served in a red sauce with mushrooms aside angelhair.

I opted for the classic Linguine al Vongole ($16.95) and had two major complaints. First, the dish was over seasoned - too salty to enjoy. Second, the dish was prepared as Pasta al Oglio, with browned sliced garlic in oil. Where were the red pepper flakes, the parsley, and the sauce? This dish was crying for lemon, which was not provided. Where did that pleasant server go? On the plus side, plenty of clams were in the dish. I almost forgot to mention that the pasta was not lingiune but spagetti.

Overall, on a day when everything was working in this restaurant's favor, we were served a very disappointing meal. The service, while pleasant, was very slow and negligent. We took almost 2 hours for lunch. My most hated dining moment is when you are made to wait for the check, as we did at lunch today. We won't be going back there. One salty dish could be forgivable, but when two dishes come out salty, you have to suspect the chef's taste is off.

After tax and tip the lunch cost $21/person, an unsavory end to an unsatisfying lunch. At least we discoverred Opus 5, which is definitely on the list for a future visit! Aside from the scrumptious bread basket, we spied luscious-looking salmon and salads. The menu is also appealing. We will post it soon......