To paraphrase Sophia from the Golden Girls television show, “Picture it ... Long Island, NY, 1965 ... two young brothers decide to open a pizzeria and share their love of good food with the neighborhood.”

Eight years later, in 1973, the younger brother, Joe, left New York and brought the family recipes and name to South Florida. To his credit, there are several Umberto’s restaurants located in both Broward and Palm Beach County.

We dined at the Pompano Beach location, at 2780 East Atlantic Blvd. This unpretentious eatery offers casual dining with authentic, solid Italian dishes and outstanding pizza. Our first taste of Umberto’s was an appetizer of a crunchy, yet tender, crust, fresh mozzarella cheese (made on site), fresh basil and fresh sliced tomatoes. This was served cold; it was light, and we enjoyed every bite. Next, we sampled the homemade minestrone soup filled with firm vegetables and served in a hearty, rich broth that needed no additional seasoning. The garlic rolls were light and fluffy, served warm, and seasoned with olive oil and just the right amount of garlic to keep you going back for more.

Since Umberto’s is home to the “Grandma Pizza,” we chose to try a sampling of this, too. Grandma Pizza has a wonderful crust and is covered with a layer of mozzarella cheese, patches of tomato sauce and fresh basil, oregano and garlic. Be sure to try this family specialty. It really is delicious.

Umberto’s menu includes various pasta and baked pasta dishes, hot and cold sandwiches, pizzas, appetizers and Italian specialties, such as veal and chicken parmigiana, Francese and Marsala. Mussels, calamari, scungilli, clams, shrimp and fish round out the selections. Because the menu is so extensive, it was difficult to choose from so many mouth -watering selections, however, I decided to order a dish that Umberto’s created using their homemade sausage. It was made with orecchiette pasta (little ear pasta), sausage, broccoli rabe, onions and fava beans. It was a superb combination of flavors and the homemade sausage made all the difference. My husband decided on the grouper picatta and was quite pleased with his choice. The grouper was a very large piece of fish that was flaky and tender; the white wine and lemon sauce was tangy and thick enough to stay on the fish. This was served with a side of spaghetti and homemade red sauce that had just a hint of sweetness. Needless to say, we couldn’t finish the generous portions that were served.

We were determined to try the New York style cheesecake, even though we didn’t think we could eat another bite. It was fantastic. When I find a cheesecake that is creamy, rich and dense, I’m in heaven. It was dusted with powdered sugar and served with whip cream and chocolate sauce. We ate every bite!

In addition to their large menu selections, they offer daily specials for lunch and dinner and a full bar is available. Their sausage, fresh mozzarella, cheesecake and tiramisu are all made at the Pompano Beach location. Umberto’s believes in great food and service at moderate prices. The restaurant provides this and so much more. The next time you are hungry for some authentic Italian food and pizza, be sure to give Umberto’s a try. You’ll be saying, “Now, that’s Italian!” Until we eat again….

Please visit www.Umbertosfl.com for the locations of other Umberto’s restaurants. Buon appetito!