By Nora J. Raum

njraum@msn.com

Café Italia is a new Italian restaurant at 3901 Dick Pond Rd. in Myrtle Beach, where Bella Napoli used to be. It's actually a few blocks west of Wal-Mart on the same side in Surfside.

Todd and Sharon Tavares are the new owners of the restaurant, which opened July 30. They also own Vito's Italian Deli at 2523 Forestbrook Rd. in Myrtle Beach.

I like to drive out there not only to see the horses and other animals on the farms but to get a huge Antipasto Salad and a pizza with thin crust with a lot of cheese, the way I am used to it from New York.

There also are tremendously huge sub sandwiches, hot or cold, at Vito's, as well as heated specialty subs. The selection is awesome, and the choices are plentiful. Included are ingredients such as peppered ham, pepperoni, Genoa or hard salami, cappicola, provolone, mozzarella, roasted red peppers, horseradish mayonnaise, salsalito turkey, oven-roasted or buffalo chicken, chicken or tuna salad, meatball, chicken sausage or eggplant parmesan, turkey, pastrami and roast beef melts, Italian or French roast beef as well as regular roast beef, chicken cordon bleu, bacon, lettuce and tomato subs and vegetarian subs.

I recommend Vito's Italian Deli for pizzas. All pizzas are 16 inches and extra toppings include cheese, pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, salami, cappicola, meatball, green peppers, onions, mushroom, tomato, black olives, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, breaded eggplant or breaded chicken.

The salads also have large portions just like the pizza and subs and include chef, antipasto, Italian chicken salad, regular chicken salad and Italian, garden and tuna salad. Sides salads include potato, macaroni, pasta, coleslaw and mozzarella and tomato, also known as a Caprese salad.

There are hot dogs and homemade lasagna and soups daily and small plates for the kids.

There is something for everyone here to enjoy in a casual atmosphere.

Café Italia is a little fancier, but kids still have their own menu if they are 10 and under and many families come to enjoy this restaurant.

A favorite for the children is the Italian ice. Children may order Spaghetti with Meatballs or Sausage, Italian Breaded Chicken Tenders, Grilled Chicken Breast with Butter Pasta, Mickey Mouse Ravioli and Winnie the Pooh Cheddar Alfredo.

The two chefs at Café Italia are Chef Michael Kane, one of Myrtle Beach's most available 23-year-old bachelors and such a good chef, and Ray Mara, a Johnson & Wales graduate who studied in Providence, R.I. He lived in Matawan, N.J., before and after culinary school.

Mara worked at Remington's Café, which had 187 seats and an open kitchen, in Holmedale, N.J. In 1991, it was voted to be the Best New Restaurant. He was the executive chef for 4 1/2 years at Empire Foremost Caterers and executive chef at the Surf Club for 3 years in New Rochelle, N.Y.

The owners are from Connecticut. Todd cooks many of the soups and desserts.

I had his Italian Wedding Soup several times and thought it scaled high on my list every time. When I sampled his Amaretto Cheesecake, I thought that it was creamy and not too sweet and the taste was exceptionally good. It is one of my favorite desserts.

At Café Italia, I found the Chicken Piccata to be outstanding. It was so tender that you can cut it with a fork. It was lightly floured, sautéed and served with lemon, white wine and caper sauce. I also liked the Chicken Rollatini and Eggplant Rollatini. I think Eggplant Rollatini is such a delicious way to have a vegetable. The Fried Calamari, lightly floured and fried, is a wonderful appetizer. There also are Clams Posillipo, Mussels in Red or White Sauce, Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms, Stuffed Eggplant, Sausage & Greens, Fresh Mozzarella Sticks, Mozzarella Caprese, Sautéed Calamari and Fried Zucchini.

I had the Filet Marsala, which was hand-cut along with mushrooms, Marsala wine, broccoli rabe and potatoes. It was a wonderfully filling meal. Perhaps next time when I have meat I will try the Ribeye Gorgonzola, which is a 12-ounce, hand-cut ribeye topped with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce.

If you want to eat lighter, there are salads, such as a Greek, Italian Chicken, Five Pepper and Caesar topped with chicken, shrimp or filet mignon.

The lasagna was light and delicious. The sauce was so good, and so were the contents, which included baked layers of pasta, ricotta and beef topped with mozzarella. Normally you would expect lasagna to be heavy, but I was so pleasantly surprised at how light this one was.

Other pasta dishes include Gnocchi, Spaghetti Carbonara, or with Meatballs or Sausage, Ravioli with Marinara or Creamy Marinara Sauce, Penne Pasta tossed in onions and prosciutto served with a Creamy Marinara Sauce and Fettuccini Alfredo.

There are many shrimp dishes served with pasta and linguini with shrimp, clams and mussels or with red or white clam sauce. There also is Chicken or Veal Piccata, Marsala, Francese, Parmigiana and Sorrentino. More fish dishes will become available shortly.

There is an extensive bar.

Everyone is made to feel at home and receives good food and beverages and grand desserts. This place has my vote.

Café Italia is located at 3901 Dick Pond Rd. in Myrtle Beach. It is open for dinner, 5 p.m. until. The phone number is 843-215-2493.

Vito's Deli is located in Forestbrook Community Plaza, 2523 Forestbrook Rd., Unit C, in Myrtle Beach. It is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 843-236-9954.

Captain John's

Seafood Grill

Captain John's Seafood Grill, owned by John and Mary Lee Bolan Venuti, is another one of my favorite restaurants. It is casual, and people in Pawleys Island enjoy both the bar and food. They are so friendly there that it reminds me of that television show "Cheers."

Captain John Venuti is Italian, and when he travels to Italy it is his favorite culinary adventure. Every section of Italy is varied and has its own way of cooking.

Captain John serves the freshest seafood around, and he recently added Lobster Ravioli to his menu, which is a must for anyone that enjoys this dish. You may have it as an appetizer or as a main entrée.

I was fortunate enough to visit John and Mary Venuti on my birthday, which made it better as there were well-

wishers and a beautiful slice of chocolate cake with a candle. It was a fitting way to top off my meal.

I had two kinds of soups: New England Clam Chowder and a Spicy Seafood Gumbo, Fried Haddock and a Grilled Ahi Tuna that was out of this world. The food is always fresh.

You can get fish, seafood, steak, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, platters and wonderful salads. The Beer-Battered Onion Rings are especially good here, as is the cole slaw and potato salad. The Haddock is terrific in a sandwich, on a plate or on top of a salad -- a New England specialty. I also rave about the scallops and Maine Lobster Rolls.

Homemade Lump Crab Cakes are good for starters or a main dish, and don't forget the Ipswich Whole-Belly Clams.

This is a must-try for either lunch or dinner. The prices are reasonable and the food speaks for itself.

Captain John's Seafood Grill is located at 13057 Ocean Hwy. in Pawleys Island. It is open for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Captain John's is closed on Sunday. The phone number is 843-235-9300.

A Taste of Italy

For the past 15 years, Tommy and Linda Guarino have owned A Taste of Italy in Wilmington, N.C. I recommend stopping off there the next time you are in the area. It is a wonderful Italian delicatessen that sells both retail and wholesale.

The deli has eight different specials every day which might include Chicken or Eggplant Parmigiana, Lasagna, Sausage & Peppers, Blackened Chicken, Cod Fish in Red Sauce, Chicken Cacciatore, Chicken with Artichoke Hearts, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Francese, Stuffed Shells, Broccoli & Chicken, Baked Ziti, Steak & Peppers or Pasta with Broccoli & Sun-dried Tomatoes.

There are hot and cold sandwiches, salads, breakfast, meat and cheese sold by the pound, soup, etc. If you want a two-foot gyro, this is the place to get it. And if you want top-of-the-line products from Italy and New York, Tommy has many in his store. Going in there is a real treat.

There are Italian cookies and cakes, top-of-the-line pastas, olive oils and wines, Sabrett hot dogs, Sclafani Imports, Poly-O products, Johns Ravioli, Boar's Head cold cuts and Italian coffees and other beverages. There are all kinds of prepared salads. You may order fresh or frozen pastas and raviolis and sauces. If you want a good sandwich, it is known as "The Wedge" because it is stuffed high just like at Vito's Deli. Want the real thing in your sandwich? Then try the Prosciutto or pastrami or various salamis.

There is even pot roast every month.

When I was looking around the store, I even saw the belly of a tuna in a can, the best part of the tuna that the Japanese call "toro." There is Arborio Polenta, Lupini and Fava beans, lentils, capers, tomatoes in a can, tomato sauces, red, green and black olives, fresh bread and all kinds of raviolis.

When Italians say "Manga," they mean it.

A Taste of Italy is located at 1101 South College Rd. in Wilmington.

The phone numbers are 910-392-7529 or 910-350-1909. It is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Nora J. Raum may be contacted at njraum@msn.com.