Nonno's, Altamonte Springs

I tried this new Italian venture (1 week) on 436 yesterday at lunch. It is in that nearly barren GFS strip mall near Appliance Direct and the train tracks that last housed a forgettable breakfast cafe (Mom's Kitchen). I think I recall reading that it is a collaboration between the unretired Stephano Lacommare (Il Pescatore, Stefano's Trattoria) and his son. Not to be confused with Stephano Tedeschi who has the place I didn't like at Dr Phillips. I didn't like Il Pescatore at all. I liked what his daughter and son in law did at Antonellsa's in Winter Park and I liked what they are doing here as well. I had the chicken piccata on penne with a soup or salad (soup) for $13. The three medallions of white meat were soft and juicy. The "coating" was a little rustic (thick) for me, but, I am quibbling. The penne was al dente. I still think they (all chefs) need to find a better partner for that tart piccata sauce than pasta. The plating was simple and nice. The soup (cup) was a pasta e fagiole (pasta and beans). The broth was home made. The beans and pasta rings were plentiful and cooked perfectly. It was seasoned nicely (sparingly). They also gift the table a whole round loaf of warm homemade bread (with pesto dip). The pesto is all a bit rustic. They did offer butter though. Service was attentive and quick. They even plied me with a to go soda. They didn't do much to the layout. You can still envision the old place. They painted the walls a light gray and reupholstered the booths an a slightly darker gray. The other colors are wood and black. They blew up a photos of the dishes they serve and the town he was born in. A mural of Marsala Sicily (western most region). The place seats around sixty. In addition to the booths that line the right hand wall, they have seven bar seats, a family sized banquette in the back and tables of four. They added some ornamentation like an embossed gold metal shield below the bar and a twigs inside glass partition as you enter. The lunch menu tops out at $13. That is for the pastas and the mains. The sandwiches, flatbreads and panini are mostly $9 (veal parm is $12). Dinner is more involved. A whole section of seafood ($16-$27). Some more mains ($12-$18). Stephano was telling the table in front of me that he is an avid fisherman and really investigates what the fishmonger brings in. Now it is grouper. The Italian dishes are all over the map. Northern. Southern. East. West. Sicilian. They also offer specials. I was sort of ambivalent about trying out the place, but, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm kind of shoe horning this into "The Best of 2016" list at the second level of pricing. The lunch pricing. I hope that the quality doesn't suffer when the excitement of the grand opening subsides. I've seen alot of people lose heart or concentration if things don't break their way right off the bat. Let's hope that worry is unfounded and people will find this place. Because they will have to. They aren't getting any foot traffic in that strip mall. I'll likely go back to try the seafood. It's perfect for lunch every day though too. I really wanted to write a review that had "No. No. No. No. No. No. No" in it. From that song that continues "nobody does (some word I forget) like you do." Oh well. Can't be funny all the time.