Nick's, Downtown

I had dinner at this Italian Kitchen (owned by the Funky Monkey folks) southeast of Lake Eola on Saturday. I had the soup of the day for $6 and the risotto of the day for $15 (very reasonable prices). The soup was made of potato puree and prosciutto nibs. It was delicious. It came in a nice bowl. They infused the creamy potato base with a large amount of coarsely chopped prosciutto pieces and a large slice for a garnish. It was the first soup I needed a knife for (to shred the prosciutto slice). The quality of the prosciutto was first class. The "Surf and Turf" Risotto was equally as good. The portion was huge. The risotto was well cooked. It wasn't bursting with flavor, but, that let the taste of the meats emerge more obviously. I enjoyed the lobster (large amount) more than the steak (large amount). The steak was a little tough and didn't have much flavor. I guess it's required to complete the effect, but, the lobster (like many artists in a group) could go solo. It came on a nice plate as well. They start you off with a bread basket and cold eggplant puree. The breads (olive, bread stick and a dense, sweet bread topped with crushed walnuts) didn't really bond with the eggplant. I believe they bake the breads themselves. The service (4) was excellent. It's a small place. It seats about 60. There were about 20 people there at 7pm. It's an intimate and refined setting (but not stuffy). There may have been music. There are no TV's like their Southwestern place next door. This is the place you go when you want a quiet, romantic evening. It does have a small bar, but, I think you would feel weird sitting there. There are photos of Italian landmarks on the wall. The support beams have tiles on them. It's not garish. They have half booths against the front window and tables in the center. My seat still had bread crumbs on it, so that is something they may want to look into. It is furnished spartanly. It has very high ceilings. It's a great place. The menu is small enough so they should be able to deliver consistent results. It still reaches a broad range of tastes. They have little "tweaks" to classic dishes that make it interesting (ie shrimp with penne ala vodka). I can vouch for the specials. I'm sure they will always be good. I highly recommend this place. I didn't want to like it. To be honest I resent when I have to go back to a space I've already marked off my list (especially when it is a pain to get to). But, this is definitely the best restaurant this space has ever housed (I think it's the third). The new owners of all the places on this block have bested the spots that they replaced. You should feel lucky if you live nearby and you need to find these spots if you do not.