Pizza, Pasta, and Perfection at New Tallahassee Eateries

Have you been missing MODA Italian Restaurant and Lounge? Well, do not fear. Urban Food Market and Centrale are here! Since the beginning of the month, Urban Food Market has been open for business, located in The Centre of Tallahassee (aka Tallahassee Mall). Urban Food Market actually contains six different Italian restaurants. Creating a unique Italian experience, Urban Food Market is like a grocery store and restaurant in one: you can dine at the six restaurants, take your food to go, purchase pre-made pasta or, if you are hosting a large get together, come and pick up some freshly sliced meat. Isn’t that lovely? Prices range from 11 to 30 dollars.

At its core, Urban Market consists of Iolo Pizza, Fiocco Gelato Café, Digia Pizza, Vinoteca Tappo, +39 and Becher (Marketplace Butcher). Along with the restaurants, you have the creative minds behind them:

1. Mirko Di Giacomantonio (Digia): Casual dining senior chef, who assembled the group, he is a native of the small Italian coastal town Tortoreto.
2. Ferruccio Cosenza (Iolo): Born near Lake Garda in northern Italy, he is like a pizza scientist, approaching pizza making like an experiment.
3. Vittorio Ledda (Tappo): Born in Castiglione delle Stiviere, a small town in Northern Italy, he is the vino virtuoso and promises to bring fine quality wines at an affordable price.
4. Alessandro DiMaggio (+39): This fine dining master is French and Italian with a long culinary resume that traces back to his family’s love of food and discipline.
5. Rudi Saccet (Fiocco): Born in the Dolomites, a mountain range nestled in northeastern Italy, he is the gelato pro.

Ultimately, Urban Food Market is like nothing you have ever seen before in Tallahassee; it truly is a taste of Italy!

A little closer to the heart of FSU is Centrale Italian Parlour, a new eatery. On October 7th, this new restaurant opened up in College Town, right next to Madison Social. Their urban, Italian, mouthwatering menu contains pasta, pizza, gelatos and appetizers for your entire table. Not to mention, their wine menu looks just delectable as the food menu. You can have your wine served to you however you like, by the draft, by the glass or by the bottle. If you don’t know where to start, one Centrale’s appetizer Olives Fritti is a notable one. Also, for dinner the Mozzarella Stuffed Parmesean – chicken, house-made ricotta and fresh mozzarella, marinara and basil – makes for a delicious entrée. These prices can range from 11 to 30 dollars.

The name Centrale, derived from Italian, actually means “center.” The idea came from the restaurant’s partners: co-owners Brian and Katie McKenna and partner Matt Thompson. The newlyweds traveled to Italy for their honeymoon, and the experience of living there and enjoying mouth-watering Italian meals sparked the inspiration for the new restaurant’s name; Centrale, it gets no closer to home than that.

Whether you want a meal close to home or to travel for a treat, Tallahassee’s new Italian restaurants definitely deliver in taste!

• FSU