A review update is coming soon....
Treasure Island, Florida, USA
Dined in July 2016
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
My wife and I were back in St. Pete after a little excursion for the July 4th holiday, and had a Groupon to eat at a little place called Feola’s Italian Ristorante at the Thunderbird Beach Resort. We had heard good things and wanted to try it out. The food was wonderful, with a home style country Italian flare, but the wine list needed some work.
From the Feola’s home page:
Feola's Italian Ristorante located at The Thunderbird Beach Resort is a family owned and operated business serving the Gulf Beaches and St. Petersburg, FL area since 1999. Delivery, dine in, or enjoy a Sunset from our courtyard patio. Our delicious food will make you swear you were in Italy. We offer a full service bar, beer and wine. Breads, dough and sauces prepared fresh daily. Always leave room for our homemade Cannoli.
Main review:
We arrived for an early dinner as we had both skipped lunch and were famished. In the area of Treasure Island up and down Gulf Boulevard there are restaurants every few fete it seems, offering any and all types of cuisine that you can think of. One of my wife's friends recommended Feola’s, so of course we had to check it out. It is a small restaurant with some tables and horseshoe shaped bar next to the entrance. Windows that are nearly floor to ceiling were built into both sides, with one side facing out to the parking lot, and the other into the courtyard of the Thunderbird Resort, where the pool and the Gulf Of Mexico could be seen in the distance. White Christmas light strings hung from the ceiling stretched across from one side of the windows to the other, every few feet or so. Along the back wall opposite the bar were nice murals of the Italian coast. Their dinner menu was broken down by:
- Pizzaiolo
- Preferito
- Nightly Specials
- Bambini (kids)
- Antipastas
- Insalata & Zuppe
- Sottotitoli (subs)
- Le Paste
- Classici
- Polo (Chicken)
- Dal Mare (Seafood)
- Dolce (Desserts)
Feola’s is known for its homemade pizzas, and we would be giving the pizza a try, but to start, we began with a few other items from the antipasti and zuppe portions of the menu. My wife started with a cup of the lemon chicken orzo soup ($4). Other items on their list were a house and caesar salad ($5), chef, market, calamari salad ($8-9), and a Mozart salad ($8) with mozzarella, tomato, and artichokes to name a few.
I bypassed the soup and salads and went into the appetizer section, and not having had calamari ($10) in along time, I wanted to give theres a try. It was served with a large bowl of cocktail sauce and the squid was a combo of tentacles and rings. They were cooked perfectly, not being to rubbery, and very enjoyable. Other items on their appetizer menu included Fra Diovoli with spicy pomodoro ($10), stuffed mushrooms with diced ham and wine sauce ($8), and garlic bites ($3-6) to name a few.
For the second course, we both shared a New York style medium pizza ($12), which they are famous for, and built our own toppings of pepperoni, onions, fresh garlic, and extra sauce. We ended up only have one piece each, the boxing the rest to eat later. The crust was nice and crispy, the topping very fresh, the sauce homemade, and honestly I would return again just to eat the pizza. It was very good.
The final course my wife ordered the lunch portion of the fettuccini and tortellini combo alfredo ($8), and they were not afraid to tack on the sauce, so you could truly enjoy the dish. It was almost like a soup, and the flavor was two thumbs up all the way.
From the main Classici entree section, I went with the old Italian classic, lasagna ($13). Little did I know how big it was going to be, and was lucky to eat a third of it. The best part was a few days later as a leftover, it tasted even better. The lasagna was loaded with cheese and meat, whereas in some places you go, they like to skip out on the meat to save money, but not here at Feola’s. Every bight of that lasagna mixed with spaghetti sauce was a decadent indulgence.
Dessert:
We were both completely fool and could not get dessert, however they had a few options that looked really good to include homemade cannoli’s ($4), Cheesecake ($5), and Italian donut holes ($6).
The overall star rating from Wine, Dine, and Play that I give to Feola’s is a two, meaning that they stand above the average dining experience compared to other restaurants, and met my expectations. I also believe that with the 20+ years of dining across the world, I set my expectations to a higher standard compared to some other reviewers out there. So to receive 2 or more stars from me says a lot about your establishment and how you “wowed” me. I came to this conclusion based on all the other factors listed above and how they rated. I came to this conclusion based on all the other factors listed above and how they rated.
Overall Star rating by Wine, Dine, & Play:
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2 of 5
Above Average
|
Ambiance:
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5 of 10
|
Quality of the Food:
|
7 of 10
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Plate Presentation:
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5 of 10
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Customer Service:
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6 of 10
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Wow Factor:
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3 of 10
|
Wine Selection:
(See the full list below)
|
2 of 10
|
Other Treasure Island, St. Pete, and Madeira Beach restaurant reviews on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Spinners Rooftop Bistro, in St. Pete Beach, Florida
Rowe Bar, at the Don CeSar, in St. Pete Beach
Food Prices
(excluding, alcohol, taxes & gratuity)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
My food bill:
|
Currency:
|
Price chart:
|
$56.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
$74.00
|
Australian Dollar (AUS)
|
$$$
|
£45.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£££££
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$74.00
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$$
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¥374.00
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥¥¥
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€50.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€€€€
|
Alcohol Prices:
$24.00
***
Customary starting gratuity for restaurants in the United States begins at 15%
Of your total food bill and increases or decreases based on the level of service you received.
In most parts of Europe, Australia, Africa, and some Asian countries it is not
common to leave any gratuity as it is already included into
the check, but you may feel free to leave extra anyway. Alcohol gratuity
is calculated by a separate 10% or higher gratuity if you wish.
***
Review basics:
Wine selections by
region:
|
2 of 10
Old world:
New World:
|
Corkage fee’s:
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The Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge $25.00 per bottle
|
Restaurant style:
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Casual
|
Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a child’s menu or cater to them; however for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended for children not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
Hire a Babysitter!
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Dress code:
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Casual
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Cuisine style:
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Italian, Seafood, Mediterranean, & Vegetarian
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Experiences:
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Great outdoor dining, Good for special occasions, Rustic, Scenic views, Hole-in-the-wall, and a Neighborhood gem.
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Payments:
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Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Hotel Parking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio:
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Yes
|
RESTAURANT NAME:
Inside the Thunderbird Beach Resort
10700 Gulf Blvd
Treasure Island, FL 33706
Contact Information:
Maître d or host:
|
+1 727-347-8415 |
| Restaurant website: | Feola’s Italian Ristorante |
| Serving hours: Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5:00) |
Daily: Mon-Sun 8:00 am - 10:00 pm |
| Email or webpage contact: | Contact Feola’s |
Social Media
&
Accolades:
|
Facebook link |
| YouTube | |
Who is John Galt?
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
TTFN
