Chianti’s Pizza and Pasta, the charming trattoria that opened in Sanford in 2012, now has a second location in Longwood. It has taken over the space in the Longwood Village Shopping Center that had previously been Carmela’s of Brooklyn and a Sbarro. So the walls should be sufficiently Italianized by now.
Of the two food genres in its name, Chianti’s seems to be more proficient in the pizza format. During a recent lunch visit, a flog associate ordered the Chianti Supreme Pizza, which featured slices of pepperoni and bits of sausage with mushrooms, red and green peppers and just enough mozzarella to give it some stringiness, all on a platform of a seasoned-just-right tomato sauce. The crust was just the right thickness, not too thin and crackerlike and not too thick and doughy. The edges of the crust had a decent char. And the 12-inch size is available as a lunch special for $8.99 with a beverage, to boot, a good deal for such a good quality pizza.
My Spaghetti with Bolognese was not as satisfying. It was an ample enough serving, and there was plenty of sauce, but the meat of the bolognese didn’t taste like much more than ground beef.
A Calamari appetizer featured tender rings of squid in lightly battered jackets with dual dippers, a basic marinara and a spicy basil aioli. I liked the latter. (However, something better for the sauces than plastic ramekins for dine-in service would be nice.)
Service was efficient and unobtrusive, and the atmosphere was quiet enough for conversation at an unstrained level.
I don’t know if a second location presumes there might be a third or more to come. But I like the improvements I’ve seen since I visited the original, so subsequent restaurants are likely to be even better.
Chianti’s Pizza and Pasta is at 1819 W. State Road 434, Longwood. It is open for lunch and dinner daily. The phone number is 407-331-6300.
