gabriella's

a true treat. i had the opportunity to attend a food bloggers' conference at international mall back in september. one of the events at the conference was to attend a demonstration and tasting atpelagiatrattoria. we all watched as chef daniel made veal ravioli and berry panna cotta. we came back and second and then a third time and have always had a great experience. a dish to try would be their crispy pan-seared chicken breast. the title says it all: crispy. it was amazing crispy. in fact, i don't think i've ever had chicken that was so juicy and so crispy all at the same time. side note:pelagiacan be a little difficult to find- in fact, before the conference, i didn't even know it existed! luckily it does because it's so good! find them in the first floor of the renaissance hotel, right off of and downstairs from the outdoor courtyard.

a perfect place to lunch before shopping!

ive eaten here a total of 3 times, each during the day, so i have only experienced their lunch menu. but what a fantastic lunch it was!

not fan of chains, my shopping partner and i were on a quest for wine and food before tackling the mall. our go to place is bazille in nordstroms but decided to givepelagiaa try. i had been before, but not my companion.

the dining area is bright and tastefully decorated. we sat near a window and felt like were in naples or southbeach. upon sitting, our server immediately came over with menus and pursehooks! thanks!

we ordered a bottle of south african white wine and started with the octopus appetizer. delicious and not scary or intimidating if tentacles freak you out.

we each then ordered a salad with a fish preparation on top, salmon for me, ahi tuna for my friend. both huge portions and the fish was expertly cooked.

warm bread and butter is also served at the table. total bill was $80 which isnt bad for an app, 2 entrees and a bottle of wine.

our only complaint, after a successful shopping trip we wanted to relax one more time with a glass of wine and popped back in to sit at the bar. there was one patron at the bar, sipping coffee and watching the bucs game, but no bartender. we sat and the bar and waited a good five min before deciding it wasnt meant to be and left.

if youre at international mall and want a delicious lunch in a posh setting, check putpelagiatrattoria.

i have always viewed food much in the same way as fashion. there are certain dishes that never go out of style and classics are often reinvented for a whole new look and taste.pelagiatrattoria in the renaissance hotel at the international plaza is one of my favorite spots to enjoy dishes that are not only incredible in flavor, they are visually stunning. each time i dine at pelagia, i leave feeling not only satisfied after a great meal but incredibly inspired.

i basically rolled out ofpelagiawith all this food in my belly, but it'll be a long time, if ever, before i forget this meal. thank you topelagiafor being as wonderful as always!

first and last visit.... i was in pursuit of one of my favorite italian desserts (semifreddo) and after reading the many great comments on several restaurant reviews forums about this venue, we decided to have dinner atpelagialast week. unfortunately, an underwhelming experience from the lack of luster in service delivery and timeliness to the almost hit and mostly miss in the quality of food overall. we shared the beef carpaccio for an appetizer and were happy with that - the caponata and fennel were a graceful compliment to the tender meat. the gnocchi with wild boar ragu and homemade ricotta sounded like a delicious choice but the execution was far from what this dish should be: the gnocchi were way too soft (probably overcooked) and the ragu had no flavor. we ended up enjoying just one of the entrees: risotto and scallops which was one of the specials for the day. the dessert that i was so much looking forward to, the semifreddo, was disappointing: served as a duo of blueberry pomegranate and chocolate mint with a drunken berry salad. if there was one time to say no to dessert this should have been it, this was supposed to be a delicate piece of heaven yet i'd like to think that heaven doesn't taste like chalk. we also tried the limoncello creme brulee, helas the creme lacked the softness, lightness and creaminess that this dessert should feature. the wine list at the restaurant is much abbreviated as compared to the website, wine by the glass offerings are limited to just a few choices.

i would definitely go back topelagiatrattoria. i loved their wine list, the service was excellent, and the food was fresh and well thought out. it’s just a friendly, warm place.pelagiahits all the high notes.

we sampled four wines paired with amazing food by executive chef andrew basch. this was my first visit topelagiatrattoria and it will not be my last...

dinner was good.pelagiais located in the renaissance hotel at international plaza. the restaurant has a spacious feeling with its high ceiling and modern bright colors. we stopped in for dinner. the service was perfect. it was not very busy.

the meal began with an uninspired basket of bread and breadsticks, a basket make much better with its companion of a generous amount of olive spread. next up for me was a caesar salad. the leaves were torn too small and it could have used more garlic, but a good dressing with a distinctive lemon kick made it a very good salad. my entrée was the crispy pan-seared chicken breast. the goat cheese mashed potatoes stole the show on my plate. that is a side worth trying to duplicate. the chicken was crispy and moist. my dinner companions both got a red snapper daily special which they liked but did not love. all in all the dinner was good but a little expensive.

absolutely terrific. four of us went topelagiato celebrate a birthday on sunday, 9/4/11. two of us had been several times but the other two (including the birthday boy) had never been. as always, our experience was terrific. our server was brooke who is one of the best servers i've ever had. the food was incredible with one exceptions. one diner ordered the pork and thought it was too salty. brooke took it back immediately (and took it off the check) and brought the diner another choice - risotto of the day and it was perfect.

this restaurant is never busy when i'm there and that's a real shame. i believe it's because it is the restaurant for the renaissance hotel at international plaza and too many people think a hotel restaurant is a lousy place to eat. typically...i agree with them...but this is the exception to the rule! if you haven't tried it....make sure you add it to your list of restaurants to try.

mediterranean made.pelagiatrattoria takes classic mediterranean flavors and combines them into tasty, if not somewhat redundant dishes. for instance, there are no surprsies on the menu - items that will leave you marveling at the creativity of the chef. there are your typical crostinis and flatbreads intertwined with the risottos and filets. don't get me wrong - the food is solidly good made in a fresh, simple manner with a few quality ingredients.
the decor is fun and colorful and you can easily believe you are in some sun-drenched greek isle while sitting there, sipping the home-made grappas - the pear flavored one tastes like a sweet brandy while the strawberry-lemon flavored is clean with a citrus bite.
all in all, a good restaurant whose ambiance is more inviting and daring than the actual dishes themselves. this ia the type of restuarant where i would go for a few after-work drinks and snack on the appetizers.

okay...so i should know better by now than to get overly excited by a hotel restaurant menu, butpelagiatrattoria's reeled me in. this was in no way a poor experience...it just wasn't all that memorable for $165 a couple with a few glasses of lower-end wine before tip. the restaurant itself is visually quite attractive: the bread basket was pretty, but cold. no butter or olive oil came with...only a black olive tapenade (which was fine...nothing more). we started with crunchy stuffed olives with three mea