Arte Pizza – Layers of Flavors That Miss the Mark

Posted Saturday, September 14, 2024 6:12 pm

By Dylan Bailey

As Amelia Island’s Dining Month continued strong and I grew more ravenous, it was time to try another restaurant’s offerings. And that was Arte Pizza. Opened in 2006, the restaurant became a staple for authentic Italian cuisine, especially its wood-fired pizza. Coming as no surprise, I was ready to jump in and chow down.

Arte Pizza is located on North Third Street. Surrounded by the bustle of mini-golf, duckpin bowling and more foot traffic than you’d expect, the building makes a bold statement with its aesthetic. The terra-cotta exterior, and a gorgeous outdoor section, wastes no time letting you know what to expect. And the inside is no different, with its quaint dining area and open kitchen.

I snagged a table outside while the weather was decent. The street where the restaurant is located, while jam-packed with foot traffic, is surprisingly quiet. I can recount two cars driving down it while I was there, which made for an incredibly peaceful time on the outdoor patio. The covering above kept away the leaves from the dense trees and palms that sprouted above. And the Edison bulbs strewn above gently offered their warm light which became cozier the darker it became.

While the atmosphere was phenomenal, my stomach was shouting at me to eat. I needed some food, and thankfully Arte has a three-course meal for the dining month. For $35, you’ll be treated to bruschetta, house-made lasagna, and two mini cannolis. The Tavern offered a few other choices, but I’m okay with having a specifically curated array of dishes.

First up was the bruschetta. Toasted ciabatta bread topped with a flavorful mix of tomatoes, red onions, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sheets of parmesan. Not only did this appetizer look appetizing, but the flavor was bombastic. The small chunks of red onions, mixed with the flavorful basil and tang of the balsamic, created a melody of flavors that bolstered each other. If you’re a fan of food that has a “fresh from the garden” taste, you won’t want to miss out on this appetizer.

The bruschetta started my journey on a high note. And that made the anticipation for the upcoming lasagna palpable. Arte’s house-made lasagna is described as “layers of pasta, bolognese sauce, house marinara, and mozzarella.” While that is true in some regard, I was disappointed with this dish. Not only did the top of the lasagna have a pool of grease that reminded me of my face as a teenager, but there was so much mozzarella I couldn’t go one bite without a huge glob of it, overshadowing any other flavors. I was also surprised at the lack of pasta, as there were only a few small sheets underneath the all-consuming wad of cheese.

Arte’s lasagna may not have been a home run for me, but hopefully, the cannolis would make up for it. Spoiler: they did. The shell of the cannoli had a nice bite to it, and was filled with a generous amount of ricotta that had a pronounced sweet, cinnamon flavor. That made for a highly enjoyable sweet treat alongside the decadent chocolate drizzle. My only complaint with the cannolis is that there wasn’t more. And if the pictures don’t show it, these are small. So small, in fact, that they are the size of my index finger. Here, though, good things do come in small packages.

Arte Pizza brings a mishmash of quality to the table. The bruschetta and cannolis are worth every penny, but as the price of entry is $35, the lasagna was a letdown. I’m surprised they didn’t offer something else instead, like a pizza. As someone who has had a lot of their pizzas, I feel it would have made for a recommendable experience.