Il Trattoria - Fort myers, FL Review

Walking in downtown Fort Myers for the Friday Art Walk of gallery openings. we passed this little restaurant, Il Trattorio. Since we didn't remember seing it there before we assumed it was new.

A glance at the menu told us that there were a number of reasonable, eg. under $17, entrees. And there was a sidewalk table open. We love to eat out where you can watch and be seen. (In fact, at least six acquaintances walked by and said "hello." What fun!)

Back to the setting, there actually were three open sidewalk tables, but one was without cover. It was raining. So we grabbed a table for two just outside the window.

First to the drinks. Susanne ordered a pinot grigio by the glass at $6.50. For me, the surprising treat was a quartino. This was our second encounter with this term. Just a week earlier we came across it in an Albuquerque restaurant, soon to be reviewed.

Knowing what a quartino is helped me make my decision. It's actually a small carafe containing about two glasses of wine. At $6, I jumped at the Montipulciano a'Abruzzo, a nice red. Good wine and a great value.

Of course, at an Italian restaurant, pasta comes to mind. Spaghetti Bolognese is my favorite pasta. That's what I ordered. Susanne had soup, pasta e fagioli, and a salad of spinach, arugala, mozzarella and muchrooms.

Everything was very pleasant. Even the rain stopped. The whole meal with two glasses of white, one two-glass quartino of red, and the food was around $40, with tip. 

To be sure, they had higher priced entrees. The special was a grilled grouper at $25. Still not an exorbitant charge for fresh grouper.

Outdoor diners will like this spot. Indoor diners will experience the same food and prices. We didn't go inside. But the inside was filled with diners who appeared to linger and enjoy their meals. So I would recommend inside or outside at Il Trattoria on First Street in Fort Myers for good food and good value.