Last night, Todd English, renowned restaurateur and chef, added another restaurant to his portfolio with the opening of da Campo Osteria in Fort Lauderdale. The 72-seat Italian eatery-on the ground floor of the Il Lugano Hotel and Residences-is English's 23rd restaurant, but the first with the da Campo Osteria name.
"We saw an opportunity to bring Todd English's rustic Italian cuisine to South Florida, and we loved the location on the Intracoastal Waterway," said Jordin Greene, English's director of marketing.
English was on hand throughout most of the night, making fresh mozzarella cheese from the curds right before guests' eyes while his staff, led by executive chef Seth High, prepared passed hors d'oeuvres-including shaved pear over polenta with Gorgonzola and a variety of pizzas-in the restaurant's open kitchen, which boasted a copper-plated, wood-burning oven.
Poolside DJ Marcello Nunes of Marcello Sound and Video provided the evening's soundtrack while guests mingled around the brown wicker cocktail tables provided by Room Service Furniture and Event Rentals, each of which was topped with arrangements of purple orchids in tall glass vases.
English's other restaurants include the Libertine, an English-style pub in New York, Todd English's bluezoo in Walt Disney World's Swan and Dolphin Resort, and six Olives restaurants across the country specializing in interpretive Mediterranean cuisine. The new restaurant was built because the owner of the Il Lugano frequented Olives at the W Hotel in New York and wanted to bring that style to South Florida.
