Pasta shouldn't be complicated. Spoleto, a new concept that opened recently near UCF with other locations coming soon, makes it so. That isn't to say that what it offers isn't good. In fact, I liked my food — and other aspects about the experience — at Spoleto a lot. I just wish it weren't so confusing. And it doesn't have to be, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Spoleto is another in the growing list of assemblage concepts, the quick-serve restaurants where diners select the ingredients from various columns to be assembled by a worker behind the counter as you watch. And in the case of Spoleto, while you wait, too. Spoleto calls this "Culinary Freedom." Keep in mind that freedom isn't free, but in this case it is reasonably priced.

Word had come down that the Osprey Tavern, a new and splashy addition to Baldwin Park, had completed a soft opening, invitation only dinners and was ready to open to the public. March 17 was the official date, so I was surprised when 10 days later my guests and I were presented with menus emblazoned with "soft opening" at the top. At what point do you commit and just say "we're open"?

The menu now available through the restaurant's Facebook page (the official website is "coming soon," though I don't think soon still qualifies) does not say soft opening, but it also doesn't look like a complete menu, either. Like the one I was presented, it has only three entrees, or plates, as they're referred to here, if you don't count the two pizzas, and I don't.

Let me just say right off that I liked Osprey Tavern overall, though, as is the case with most just-opened restaurants, some tweaks and adjustments are needed. But I find the atmosphere lively and fun, the service more than serviceable, and the menu, limited as it is, off to a good start.

Fabrizio Schenardi, executive chef at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World, will be given the Paolo Bertani Award on April 18, 2015, in Italy. The award is given every two years by the Italian Academy of Cuisine in collaboration with the IFSE Culinary Institute to an Italian born chef who started his or her career in that country and continues to preserve the culture and cuisine of Italy worldwide.

Schenardi oversees all of the restaurants at the Four Seasons but has an especial affinity for Ravello, the hotel's breakfast and lunchl Italian restaurant. 

Schenardi began his culinary career in Torino and did his apprenticeship in Sardinia. He opened the Orlando resort after working in St. Louis.

Hold the mayo. Served in all its myriad forms to the Ladies Who Lunch, chicken salad is rarely seen without its creamy cohort, mayonnaise. This lighter version of chicken salad brims with the bold, bright flavors of Latin cuisine.

Perfectly poached, good-girl, chicken breast tenders are marinated in a vibrant vinaigrette of lime, garlic, minced fresh cilantro and a touch of agave nectar, then garnished with buttery sliced avocado and colorful kumquats. To go with, thick-cut heirloom tomatoes are always a hit.
For a swankier soiree, this versatile vinaigrette also shines with plump, chilled shrimp or lobster. Serve in martini glasses with an olive and crunchy tortilla strips.