IL Mulino

Some love and some hate this long-running, classic Italian place in Fort Lauderdale, now more than 20 years old. We happen to like it just fine, because, among other things, it's cheap! A plate of homemade pasta may set you back as little as ten bucks, and those are some darned good noodles. Il Mulino also serves imported burrata mozzarella cheese with prosciutto for an antipasti. They never run out of garlic rolls, and they are not light-handed with that pungent herb; you'll go home reeking of the stuff. Their specials can be spectacular, like the walnut-crusted sea bass with lemony, Parm-infused risotto. They serve polenta. And their bucatini pasta rules for its delicious, chewy texture and vaguely sweet-yeasty flavor. But beware, this fare is heavy: creamy, buttery, garlicky, and ultrarich.