Louie Louie We gotta bang besides

Louie Louie opened its doors on a quieter Las Olas Boulevard influence 1996 B. C. -- that's Before Cheesecake Factory. Absolute was therefore booming credit the'90s that bodily looked akin the Italian bistro had launched a mini dining kingdom. Real was followed by Louie Louie Extremely character Delray Beach and Las Olas siblings Louie's Oyster Bar, Louie's Tequila Cantina and Louie Louie To Activity.

Now, alone the Delray and Las Olas Louie Louie Italian restaurants continue, but hotelkeeper Robert Woltin is still a musician influence the local restaurant picture. He's the late-the-scenes innkeeper of bloated Las Olas destinations Rino's Tuscan Grill and Johnny V.

Any more 10 caducity elderly, Louie Louie may not trail throngs according to some restaurants down the road, but locals perceive real's a amusing area to keep a Fierce Mary and eggs Benedict on weekend mornings, gourmet sandwiches for lunch and a silent at-home adjacent a allotment of shopping. Time the bread isn't trendy or cool, aliment is beefy-prepared, portions are sizeable, servers affable and prices equitable.

The extensive, Italian-dominated red catalogue offers abounding affordable choices, blot out about 20 by the glass, from $6 to $19.

On a recent Friday after dark, we didn't committal a reservation and now were seated influence a comfy booth adumbrate a contour of the festive holiday lights on Las Olas. The situation is cozy but urban, cloak red walls, dramatic exposed-wood cupola, huge vintage movie posters, magnum blooming bottles and separate bar-- or dine outdoors on the close patio.

The bite nature Italian standards and there are always a few specials, like our starter of oysters Rockefeller, topped with spinach, butter and bread crumbs-- nicely presented but so rich we couldn't taste the oysters.

Pasta e fagioli, however, was delicious, good and hearty, with lots of kidney beans, silky pasta and Black Forest ham adding a hint of smokiness.

Louie Louie offers a long list of pasta dishes and classic entrees like veal parmigiana, shrimp scampi, chicken piccata. A special of lobster ravioli brought a large portion of plump pasta filled with chunks of Maine lobster and lump crabmeat. It was inexpensive at $16. 95, but the creamy pink champagne sauce overwhelmed the seafood. A fresh catch of grouper became limp in a piccata-style sauce

On another trip, my friends and I stuck to traditional menu staples and found them much better, starting with a standout antipasto platter. It's a generous array of fresh mozzarella, roasted eggplant and peppers, pitted olives, and pepperoncini with slices of prosciutto, salami, provolone and grilled fresh veggies.

Louie Louie's award-winning, thin-crust pizza won the biggest cheers from our group, with comments like" excellent crispy crust,"" good sauce" and" just the right spices." Louie's offers 13 pizzas from basic Neapolitan to shrimp scampi-- or pick from 30 toppings including mussels, calamari and scungilli, Parma prosciutto and grilled marinated chicken. Even basic toppings like pepperoni and grilled veggies won't disappoint.

One of our favorite entrees here turns out to be a simple and delicious, house-made sausage of beef and veal, nicely seasoned, with perfectly cooked broccoli raab and penne dressed in olive oil with lots of garlic. The chicken Marsala gets points for its fresh veggies and al dente pasta, but the chicken could have been more tender.

Louie Louie's pastry chef turns out treats like moist chocolate cake with Godiva chocolate filling, a first-rate tiramisu topped with shaved white chocolate and homey apple crumb cheesecake-- among the reasons Louie Louie is still a worthy stop along the boulevard.

December 21, 2006