Order Up: Sette Bello

By John Linn Tue., Mar. 16 2010 at 9:47 AM

Categories: Order Up, Review

I've had a lot of complaints about service in restaurants lately, but Sette Bello is the kind of place that makes me think everything is all right. That's because the service at this cozy Italian restaurant in northern Fort Lauderdale is topnotch. Throughout multiple visits, the staff was on point with just about every facet of our meal. To top it off, the simple Italian food prepared by chef Franco Filippone, formerly of Casa D'Angelo, is stellar.

Take a peek at an excerpt from this week's Dish review on Sette Bello after the cut.

If there's one intangible that the wait staff at Sette Bello truly has, it's empathy: The ability to discern just what a customer needs almost before they do. This isn't something you can learn, mind you. It's instinctual. An empathetic server can feel the ebb and flow of a meal. They're near the table when you need them and invisible when you don't. They know just when to fill your wine glass, when you're ready for your next course, and when you're ready to pay your bill. Mostly, they know what a customer really wants. And then, quite simply, they give it to them.

The servers at Sette Bello all seem to possess this trait, likely because they are all professionals. This dapper collection of mostly men in starched button-downs and pressed pants are not moonlighting. They're not between jobs or trying to make a quick buck. The servers here are craftsmen in the same way that the restaurant's owner, Franco Filippone, is a chef. They're his direct link to the dining room -- conduits between kitchen and customer, as important a tool as a chef's tongs or his mise en place.

Read the full review of Sette Bello here.