By Becki Coffy

Chef Dooly, former owner and chef of Café Valtellina, has returned, after a three-year sabbatical, to once again delight us with his talents.  His new venture, Chef Dooly’s Northern Italian Cuisine is located in the original café’s setting at 1375 South Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, in the Sawgrass Promenade.

The restaurant’s wide menu selection was very tempting.  We started with the soup course. I chose the minestrone, and my husband selected the pea soup.  The pea soup was rich and thick and a great choice for people who prefer a meatless starter — since the soup is not made with ham. My minestrone was full of flavor and loaded with tender vegetables in a savory broth, just like my Aunt Josephine used to make.

Next, we moved on to share the house salad and the Penne four-cheese appetizer. The homemade creamy Italian dressing on fresh greens was rich and tangy and the four cheese dish could have been a meal in itself. It was bursting with the flavors of all four cheeses in a light pink sauce. We couldn’t get enough.

Finally, we moved on to our main choices. Since the restaurant offers many specials every day, I selected the tilapia special, which was delicious and very creative. It was topped with chopped pistachios and served with a fresh mango and dried cranberry salsa. The flavors of the salsa complemented the fish beautifully. My husband went with a more traditional Italian dish and selected the lasagna. He was very pleased with his choice. It was stacked high with lots of cheeses and meat and covered with a robust red sauce that was mouth-watering. All this was served with hearty, crusty bread that finished off our meal.

The dessert menu offers tiramisu, ricotta cheesecake, crème brulee, chocolate cake, ice cream and a poached pear.  My husband chose the crème brulee.  It was made to perfection. The custard was the smoothest we’ve ever tasted and the crisp sugar on top was like eating candy. I had the