By Liz Balmaseda
Posted Jan 14, 2019 at 3:35 PM
Updated Jan 14, 2019 at 3:53 PM
Del Pesto is located next to the Cinepolis Luxury movie theater
That fancy movie theater in Jupiter has a soulful new neighbor, a red-sauce Italian spot that transports you as fully as anything playing on the big screens next door.
Where does Del Pesto restaurant take us, you ask? Jersey, circa 1965 to 1975, maybe. Frankie Valli’s “Let’s Hang On!” swirls along the brick-lined back wall that declares “Great Italian Food.” Your server has a few superlatives of his own when you tell him it’s your first visit to the two-month-old restaurant. “We re-did the whole place. Check it out,” he tells you, “It’s beautiful!” You dig his enthusiasm. So when he talks up the Rigatoni Bolognese ($17), you order it — even though you were in a chicken Parm kind of mood. The saucy, meaty pasta arrives in veils of steam and for a long moment your eyes adore it. (I know. Sorry.) You dig in and realize your server’s rigatoni rave was on point. The pasta is al dente, the sauce, simmered in Chianti wine and enriched with a touch of cream and nutmeg, utterly delicious.
You savor it in bliss as locals shuffle in for pizza, heroes, antipasti and such. The soundtrack reads your mind. “Who loves you, pretty mama?” Frankie asks. Like he even has to ask.
Del Pesto: open daily for lunch and dinner at 201 N. U.S. Hwy 1, Jupiter; 561-768-9533