Talk to anyone who's lived in Oviedo for at least a few years, and you'll consistently hear one of two places as THE place to go for good Italian food: Circosta's or Stefano's.
I already talked about Circosta's in my prior entry, so I'll give my thoughts on Steffano's here. For starters, it's not techinically in Oviedo, but it's in neighboring Winter Springs in the shopping plaza on the corner of Tuskawilla and Red Bug Lake (the one with the Chick Fil A and the UFC gym). Despite the large size of the interior, this place has a good 15 minute wait for a table on any given night for dinner service.
The food is great, the ambiance is warm, and the service is good. There's a beautiful bar just past the entry way where you can enjoy a drink while you wait for a table to open up. But since I haven't actually had the opportunity to saddle up and grab a drink, I can't comment on the skills of the bartender. But it looks very inviting.
Now, if you know me, you know I love my bread service, and this place does NOT disappoint. They bake their bread and it tastes phenomenal. It's brought to your table with a side of dipping oil which has already been seasoned to garlic perfection. But try not to eat a lot of bread because the meals are fantastic and plentiful. I've yet to finish a full entree due to the sheer size of the portions. It's down home Sicilian style cooking, with a flair for presentation. And the desserts are great too. So far, I've enjoyed the tiramisu and the cannoli, and both were worth the calories.
But where this place really shines for me is the lunch service. They have a great lunch menu where you can get several lunch sized portions of many of their entrees (still pretty big), and they have a special $8 menu where you can get half of a sandwhich and half portion of their salads (or a cup of soup). When you see how much salad they give you and how big the half portion of the sandwhich is, you'll wonder if they are losing money on this deal. It's a fantastic option for the lunch crowd.
So which do I prefer? Well, it depends on the occassion. For lunch, I have to give the edge to Stefano's. For romantic dates, I'd also give it to Stefano's (dimmer lighting, small booths for intimate seating, nice bar for chit chat before seating, soft music in the background, etc.). If I'm going for pizza or a more casual dinner meal, I'd give it to Circosta's. My in laws seem to prefer Circosta's when they come for a visit, and my dad absolutely loves Circosta's pasta fagioli.
Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice, and I'm glad they are both in Oviedo/Winter Springs. Mangia and enjoy!
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