A portion of La Piazza’s warm intimate dining room.

Seven of us, friends who love a “fine dining” experience and have eaten at a number of Branson’s restaurants over the years and virtually all of its “fine dining” restaurants at one time or the other, enjoyed one of the finest dining experiences we have ever had in Branson. What is amazing is that La Pizza just opened, at 2900 Green Mountain Drive, in the old “Cosmopolitan Grill” location, on Friday April 11, was in the process of a soft opening and still provided such a wonderful experience.

The ambiance, lighting and size of the L shaped room was very comfortable and inviting with a full service bar tastefully integrated into one end of the room. Our server Johnathan did a wonderful job and provided a quality of service that contributed immeasurably to our enjoyment of the evening.

There were seven of us and we started off from the “Antipasti” section of the menu with two orders of “Portobello Rimini” which we split. The dish is a huge stuffed Portobello Mushroom baked with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil served on a bed of polenta with Marinara sauce. One order would be perfect for two to split and it was delicious. Fresh sliced Italian bread, made “in house,” was served with a delightful garlic flavored butter.

The entrees of our party ranged from their daily special, “Wild Alaskan Salmon,” to a variety of pastas and their “Bisteccalla Florentina,” LaPiazza’s grilled rib eye steak. To a person, everyone said that what they had was excellent.

One of the ladies with us said, her “Linguini Al Vongole,” a delightful combination of linguini noodles with clams, shrimp, white wine, garlic, chili flakes, basil and parsley was one of the best pasta dishes she has ever eaten. The “Wild Alaskan Salmon” special, was lightly smoked just prior to serving under a Plexiglas dome that was removed as it was served. What a beautiful presentation in terms of sight and smell and all who ordered it said it was wonderful.

Those of us who got the “Bisteccalla Florentina, were delighted. The large grilled rib eye steak, topped with a red wine demi-glaze, was served with seasonal vegetables and some of the best garlic mashed potatoes I have ever eaten. One of us ordered their steak medium rare and the other rare. Both were cooked to perfection and were delicious.

There really wasn’t room for desert, but a couple of the girls each ordered one, “Tiramisu.” Like everything else, it was delicious. I know that the word “delicious” is used a lot in describing our experience at LaPiazza, but that’s the way it was.

Executive Chef Donny Jay Cummings had previously worked at the “Table 22 Restaurant” and is really excited about the menu, quality of the ingredients used and providing diners with one of the best fine dining experiences in Branson. Owner Fidel Gomez, said that in addition to providing his guests with great food he wanted the restaurant to provide a comfortable, warm and hospitable atmosphere for his guests. If our experience is any indication he has succeeded. It is a place that we will visit again and often.

All meals are served ala carte and are priced very reasonably considering the size of the portions, quality the food, the service and wonderful fine dining experience provided. “LaPiazza Ristorante Italiano” opens at three daily, is open seven days a week, accepts reservations and can be reached by phone at 417-334-2562.