Dining Out: Gabriello's brings New York vibe to Old 41 Road

We were barely seated in the cocktail lounge when my guest, eyeing his surroundings with a pleased expression, fessed up.

"I've driven by here hundreds of times over the years but never stopped in," he told me. "From the highway, it looks like a typical strip center kind of place. I certainly didn't suspect it to have a New York kind of style."

Looking back, I recall thinking the same thing on my initial visit. Gabriello's, 13800 U.S. 41 N. at Old 41 Road, just a pizza toss south of the Lee County line, looks cookie-cutter at a distance. But once inside, the bar area in particular has a sort of 1980s Big Apple charm.

It's a dimly lit space — chandeliers cast an amber glow — with tin ceiling and wall of black-and-white autographed photos of famous and not-so-famous faces. You'll recognize Martin and Lewis and Steve and Edy but probably don't remember the one-hit wonders.

To add to the ambience, a young lady named Lynn Carol tickles the ivories, crooning smooth oldies you probably haven't heard in years ("Stardust" and "In the Wee, Small Hours of the Morning" for instance).

Gabriello's is definitely a dry martini kind of place. Or a Chianti Classico kind of place. We had one of each while dipping into the basket of warm house bread. "Italian butter" — also known as olive oil-balsamic vinegar-parmesan cheese dip — came on the side.

To the strains of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," we ordered. To start, decided on lobster bisque ($8.50). My guest went for funghi alforno ($9.50). Both were delicious.

The creamy bisque (in a large bowl, not a tiny cup) was well-laced with bites of fresh lobster. My serving, however, was missing the sherry wine that was mentioned in the menu blurb. The addition would have made a good thing even better.

Our second appetizer consisted of mushrooms filled with a homemade stuffing of crab meat, fresh spinach and tomato topped with golden brown bread crumbs. Very tasty.

Other possibilities range from escargot to a grilled portobello with mozzarella and familiar favorites like bruschetta, calamari and shrimp cocktail plus five salads.

We called on our excellent waiter, Geoff, to help us narrow down the main course options.

To the strains of "Volare," we ordered two traditional Italian creations, cioppino ($27) and veal parmigiano ($23). On both counts, portion size was huge.

My dish consisted of a tender, lightly breaded veal cutlet with penne pasta and a zippy marinara sauce containing hints of fresh basil. The kitchen didn't stint on the melted mozzarella cheese. (Leftovers made a nice lunch the following day.)

The cioppino, a classic fish stew made with tomatoes and a variety of fish and shellfish, got a rave review.

A medley of shrimp, scallops, calamari, mussels, clams and fish was sauteed in garlic and olive oil with a splash of wine, then served over linguini. My guest chose the red sauce over white.

"Each seafood retained its distinctive taste," he noted. "That doesn't always happen."

We didn't really need dessert. Believe me, you won't leave Gabriello's hungry. But to round out the review, we sampled two: tiramisu ($6.25) and a cannoli ($5.75).

The tiramisu was frankly a disappointment. It was basically cold, moist and sweet — lacking the intense espresso, brandy, mascarpone flavor I've come to expect from other versions I've had around town.

A chocolate covered cannoli was better, but almost too rich. Your table could share one; a bite or two should be sufficient to satisfy a taste for sweets.

Note: Gabriello's also offers two attractive dining rooms — but they look like Florida dining rooms. We'll take Manhattan.