Stresa Italian Restaurant WPB FL has been one of our favorite spots to dine since they first opened in 1996.
Cappuccino and Amaretti
Stresa Italian Restaurant WPB FL
There was always something special about this Red Sauce Italian ristorante. There was an easy elegance and warm service, in addition to the magnificent food. It was one of those places that we knew we’d miss while we were galavanting across the country.
When we returned to West Palm Beach this time, we made it a point to go passed its long held location on Okeechobee Blvd. I literally gasped when I saw that it was dark! I really craved at least one more of their delicious meals.
So when our friend Trish (of Rehoboth Beach fame) came to town a couple of weeks ago, I decided to do a deeper dive into what happened to Stresa. I breathed a sigh of relief when I learned that Stresa hadn’t closed. It merely moved a few short blocks from its original location to 2062 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. in early 2021!!!
Naturally we went there for dinner with Trish, keeping our fingers crossed that the only change was the address. Thankfully it was!
Stresa 2.0 still has that very welcoming vibe that makes you feel like you’re dining with old friends. Old friends who cook and serve outstanding food. If it’s at all possible, Stresa is even better now because it’s shiny and new, and parking is sooooooo much easier.
The Stresa Back Story
Stresa Italian Restaurant was named for a small town on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, about 56 miles northwest of Milan. That’s where Stresa’s founder, Claudio Trevisan, grew up. When he came to America he brought with him the flavors of his town to beautiful Palm Beach County.
The cuisine of Stresa in Italy is influenced by the classic cuisines of its neighboring countries, Switzerland and France. Claudio brought these flavors with him and added a touch of his own. Most of the menu items will be familiar to you. But there are also new surprises to taste. And taste them, you should!
Our Appetizers
We began our meal with some awesome freshly baked bread and well seasoned EVOO and a great bottle of wine, that Trish chose.
Eggplant Rollatini
Calamari Fritti
Following that, we devoured our two appetizers as if it was our last meal on earth. Yup. That’s how good they were!!! The three of us shared an Eggplant Rollatini and a Calamari Fritti. The Eggplant Rollatini was served in a gratin dish and was composed of slices of eggplant rolled around a ricotta cheese and spinach filling that was baked with rich, tomatoey marinara and stretchy mozzarella. Our heaping plate of Calamari Fritti – fried baby calamari – served with that same luscious marinara. The sauces were so good that we needed more bread to scoop up every last drop into our gluttonous mouths.
Our hot apps were followed by a delicious Caesar Salad.
Entrées
In all honesty, we could have stopped with the appetizers and salad, and been happy. But. Ya know. Gluttony.
Chicken Francese
Trish had the Chicken Breast Francese served over pasta. The huge portion of egg battered chicken breast was sautéed with white wine and lemon; and served with a colorful medley of vegetables.
Veal Parmigiano alla Stresa
Steve knew before we even got to the restaurant that he was ordering their Veal Parmigiana because Stresa’s is a lot like Chef Volla’s in Atlantic City. And the are both so awesome. And, as always, the breaded veal cutlet topped with marinara and mozzarella, did not disappoint.
Veal Scaloppine al Gorgonzola e Funghi
I could not decide between two veal dishes. One with artichokes and cream, the other with gorgonzola and mushrooms. But when I asked our server which he recommended, his face lit up when he suggested Scaloppine al Gorgonzola e Funghi. IT WAS AMAZING! Rich, funky gorgonzola cream sauce bathed the veal scallops and abundant mushrooms to create a combination of flavors that were like a symphony playing in my mouth.
All of our portions were enormous, and Trish decided that we really needed dessert, so we all took doggy bags home with us.
Cappuccino and Dessert
Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice Cream
Classic Tiramisu
Cream filled Chocolate Profiteroles
And we ordered 3 desserts(and took half of each home). It was so much fun. We each took a bite of the dessert on the plate in front of us and then rotated plates until we couldn’t eat another bite of our Apple Strudel with Vanilla Ice Cream, Cream Filled Chocolate Covered Profiteroles and Tiramisu. Trish and I did manage to finish every sip of our Cappuccino which was served with a delightful almond cookie.
So happy that our old favorite, Stresa Italian Restaurant WPB FL, is still as fabulous as always, in their new location. I hope that Stresa’s remains part of Palm Beach County for many decades to come.
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