Ticket Editor: Sarasota's best new waterfront restaurant serves fabulous Italian food

We're approximately a dozen miles east of Sarasota's best waterfront restaurants and significantly farther from my favorite dining spots along Bradenton Riverwalk, or the renowned eateries by the famously beautiful beaches of Siesta Key, Venice and Anna Maria Island.

There are no natural beaches nearby, and I suspect that many of the ponds and lakes are man-made, but we are situated beside a substantial body of water. And while I'm more accustomed to searching for lazily floating manatees or frolicking dolphins, I've come to the edge of the elevated patio to gaze down over the rail at a swiftly moving alligator, which appears large enough to view me as a potential snack.

Such are the sights on the shores of Kingfisher Lake in the upscale new Waterside Place neighborhood of Lakewood Ranch. Waterside Place is where Old Florida meets New Florida, where ancient reptile predators swim in waters surrounded by bougie condos, shops, and restaurants. It's also where you will find one of the best new restaurants to open this year in Sarasota or Manatee counties.

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New restaurant Osteria 500 is in Lakewood Ranch's bougie new waterfront neighborhood Waterside Place

I spotted the alligator during a recent weekday dinner at Osteria 500, following an equally rewarding lunchtime visit a few days prior. The restaurant is the newest addition to Waterside Place, a brand-new neighborhood that is already home to dining and drinking establishments such as Kore Steakhouse, Good Liquid Brewing Co., and Forked. Additionally, a Deep Lagoon Seafood and Oyster House location as well as the Mexican-American restaurant Agave Bandido are set to open there. Yes, I will be returning to Waterside Place.

Osteria 500 opened this summer with plenty of well-deserved hype. Its proprietors include Giuseppe Del Sole, who also owns Napulè, the acclaimed Italian restaurant on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, which earned a coveted Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend magazine. I arrived at Osteria 500 for the first time on a recent Saturday afternoon with high hopes.

You enter Osteria 500 from Waterside Place's main Lakefront Drive and are immediately enveloped by the cozy ambiance of brick and wood, complete with a long bar and mezzanine seating above. Follow the hostess to the covered patio seating overlooking Kingfisher Lake, as I did recently, and make sure to first pause and gaze at the gelato stand, the pastry display case, and the open kitchen featuring a wood-burning oven built atop a Fiat 500. Once outside, you'll see the lake, hear its fountain, and notice Osteria 500's outdoor bar, which is constructed from a vintage truck painted powder blue and adorned with marquee lights that spell out the venue's name.

While the Disney World-esque Waterside Place is not exactly where you would expect to find one of the region's most authentic Italian restaurants, that's precisely what you get at Osteria 500. For instance, on Saturday, our Italian server presented us with the Italian water we ordered before guiding us to a couple of Italian beers as we perused the menu of Italian dishes (written in Italian with English descriptions). The restaurant also boasts an impressive Italian wine list and a cocktail menu featuring various Italian liquors and liqueurs. Even the background music featured Italian singers, and not just the usual Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin recordings; these singers were performing in Italian, albeit often delivering covers of classic American pop tunes.

Of course, authenticity means very little if the cuisine disappoints. Fortunately, this was not the case during my two recent visits to Osteria 500, which started with one of the best charcuterie plates I've had in recent memory. Named the "tagliere misto," an Italian phrase that essentially translates to "mixed platter," it's an unforgettable assortment of meats and cheeses elevated by the sweet and savory accoutrements of onion marmalade, fried gnocchi, raspberries, and a sauce boat filled with fresh, creamy stracciatella for all-purpose dipping. Priced at $25.95 and accompanied by a paper bag filled with a collection of the restaurant's irresistible breads baked in-house, it's the perfect way for two people to kick off their meal.

In addition to the taglieri and salad options, Osteria 500 offers a variety of antipasti dishes, including more of those fried gnocchi and the beautifully presented fried calamari ($17.95), which paired perfectly with their beef meatballs served in a pool of tomato sauce and melted mozzarella ($15.95). I also enjoyed their beef carpaccio served with mushrooms and fried goat cheese ($17.95). However, if you're debating between beef carpaccio and the tagliere misto, I would recommend the mixed plate of cured meats and cheeses featuring such faves as prosciutto and pecorino plus the accompaniments I mentioned earlier.

Fresh and homemade pasta and pizza are the stars of Osteria 500

The made-in-house pasta and pizza are the stars of Osteria 500 and, really, no visit should be complete without trying at least one or both of these standouts. Among the eight pasta dishes on the menu, I highly recommend the "gnocchi alla Sorrento" ($24.95), which finds the restaurant's delicate potato gnocchi served with mozzarella and parmesan in a light and flavorful tomato sauce goosed with just a hint of spice. You can also enhance the dish with a ball of burrata for an additional four bucks, which adds a sweet creaminess to the already delectable dish.

Osteria 500 offers about a dozen pizzas (which can be upgraded to a gluten-free crust for $2.95), and from the right seat, you can watch them being cooked in their wood-burning oven built atop a Fiat 500. Typically, when visiting a pizzeria for the first time, I will order a plain cheese or margherita pizza. However, when I read the description of Osteria 500's capricciosa ($17.95), which loosely translates to "whimsical," I had to try it. The smartly charred thin crust teeming with flavor arrives topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce and then premium quality servings of artichokes, mushrooms, sausage, and olives. It took all of my willpower not to eat the entire pie, which should easily satisfy a couple.

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In addition to all the showstopping pasta and pizza, Osteria 500 serves half a dozen entrees from its wood-charcoal grill. These include salmon, Mediterranean sea bass, veal scaloppine, a ribeye, and the stuffed chicken breast I almost ordered until the server recommended the "impiccato di picanha e salsiccia" ($38.95), which loosely translates to "hanged picanha and sausage." Picanha is a popular beef cut in Brazil. Osteria 500 skewers the beef and homemade sausage, suspending it above a pile of roasted vegetables. You take the skewer down and remove the pieces of meat, then pair them with the veggies, which have been bathed in the meat juices. It's a spectacularly presented dish I highly recommend, especially for fellow hardcore carnivores.

I know, I know, how much more can one eat or have to say about Osteria 500? I'll keep this brief. I've been enjoying tiramisu my entire life. Like pizza, even when it's bad, it's still pretty good, right? The tiramisu at Osteria 500 is, without a doubt, the best I've ever had. It's a delightful balance of light and rich, with sweet cream complemented by wonderfully bitter dark cocoa and coffee. It has lingered in my memory since my first taste. In fact, a drive from anywhere in Sarasota or Manatee County would be worthwhile just for another spoonful.

Osteria 500 is at 1580 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota. For more information, call 941-866-8962 or visit osteria500.com.

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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.??????

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Best new waterfront restaurant in Sarasota is Osteria 500