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A Dazzling Venue For Upscale Dining

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By MARY PATRICK

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 12, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Viaggio is a grown-up place for those who appreciate opulence.

It's located in The Venue, formerly Stormin's Palace. And while Stormin's had its charms, a multimillion-dollar facelift has given the place a swank, Michelin-approved atmosphere it lacked previously. From the bar to the restaurant booths to the bathrooms - the surroundings and service are very high end.

The Venue has eight different themed areas, including an impressive wine room for private dining and an outdoor cabana bar that was doing brisk business on a recent weeknight. The place is built to entertain, set up for everything from business events to private parties.

But what about the food? The Venue has two restaurants: Takara, run by chef Yoshi Kohazame, offers sushi and sake in a hip, metropolitan atmosphere. Viaggio, run by chef Robert Uzzillia (formerly of Armani's), is a tapas restaurant that claims influences beyond the usual Spanish cuisine.

We opted for Viaggio, where upmarket flourishes prevail - from the appealing wine list and photo-shoot-worthy presentation of the dishes to the attentive and well-informed wait staff.

After settling in our comfortable booth, we were served a complimentary feta cheese and roasted red pepper spread with an assortment of breads (pita wedges, focaccia, French). We satisfied the sushi hounds at the table by ordering a few dishes from Takara: the tuna tataki, the Boston roll (Maine lobster, avocado and scallions) and the Mexican roll (tempura prawn, avocado, spicy mayo, tobiko). All were visually appealing and palate pleasing, made with fresh ingredients. We washed the sushi down with warm Wandering Poet sake, highly recommended if you can designate a driver.

Viaggio's menu is divided into cold, hot and entree-style tapas. We started with cold tapas: a beefsteak tomato and buffalo mozzarella tower, a small dish with explosive flavors (not enough to share, however); and a lobster and crab martini, featuring a tasty and heavy mixture of Maine lobster, jumbo lump crab, avocado, scallions and lime emulsion.

From the hot tapas, we selected the seared diver scallops, which might be the best thing we ate that night. The flavors - the scallops came caramelized with roasted corn, black bean salsa and smoked tomato coulis - melded into one unified, delicious taste sensation.

For entrees, we opted for the trio of duck featuring a stack of seared duck breast, foie gras and confit. It was a rich tower of fatty-meat lusciousness. Lighter but still satisfying was the jumbo lump crab crusted Gulf grouper, which came with truffle whipped potatoes, baby asparagus, Pommery beurre blanc and a port wine reduction.

From the chef's special menu, we ordered the seared red snapper served atop lobster risotto and accompanied by two sauteed shrimp. This was so good that everyone at the table was fighting for it.

Having achieved that buzz only superb food can provide, we still could not resist the bananas torrejas - caramelized bananas drizzled over spongy brioche triangles at the base of a cookie tower filled with what can best be described as rum-infused banana pudding. Can you see why this was difficult to resist?

It tasted as good as it sounds, a fitting ending to a memorable night.

DINING REVIEW

Viaggio at The Venue

BOTTOM LINE: Elegant tapas served in a posh setting.

WHERE: 2675 Ulmerton Road, St. Petersburg

HOURS: Sunday through Wednesday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m.

CREDIT CARDS: All major

RESERVATIONS: Yes

CHILDREN'S MENU: No

ALCOHOL: Full bar and wine list

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes

PRICE RANGE: $6 to $27

CALL: (727) 571-2222

Tribune reviewers eat anonymously. Mary Patrick can be reached at marypatrick@ fridayextra.com.

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