‘Watts for Dinner’: A symphony of flavor from Arturo’s Bistro

Our next dining destination is Arturo's Bistro on Marco Island.

Things got off to a cheesy start with the French onion soup ($6). It comes covered in cheese that coats nearly the entire bowl. You can see fresh herbs on top, and large bits of tasty bread inside.  

This soup has a bit of an alcohol taste to it, whether it’s brandy or cooking sherry I’m not sure. But it is unique and worth a try.

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For my main entrée, I selected the eggplant parmigiana ($21), featuring seasoned eggplant, baked with marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese and is served with a side of spaghetti.

This dish is huge. And it’s one of those dishes that just satisfies. So cheesy and delicious. And the pasta? Cooked to perfection.

All entrées are served with a house salad or soup du jour. I picked the house salad, which was both colorful and tasty. There’s a lot to this salad. Larger and better than salads that typically accompany entrees.

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My partner in dine picked the porcini mushroom and goat cheese ravioli ($24), topped with a creamy wild mushroom sauce and truffle oil drizzle. This dish was amazing. The flavors blend into a perfect symphony. I highly recommend this dish.

You can add chicken ($6), shrimp ($8) or salmon ($10). He picked the latter. And while the salmon earned rave reviews, he admitted that this pasta dish didn’t need it or anything else.

He upgraded from the house to the spinach salad (which you can purchase separately for $10). It features baby spinach, caramelized pears, pancetta, pecans and goat cheese and is served with a maple bourbon vinaigrette. This salad is a work of art that tastes as good as it looks.

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This amazing meal left us to full to eat dessert at the table. But we took home the amaretto cheesecake ($9 a slice). It’s a huge slice of traditional cheesecake featuring almond and cherry. While the cheesecake is amazing, the other flavors are subtle and difficult to pick up on. But that’s the great thing about cheesecake … it’s cheesecake!

The dining room is cozy. The employees always seem happy to see you and deliver service with a smile, that you can almost see through the masks. And from the bread that’s delivered to your table upon being seated to your last bite, you’ll be smiling too! Happy eating!  

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This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all reviewed dishes online at marconews.com.

If you go

Arturo's Bistro

• 918 N Collier Blvd., Marco Island
• 239-394-7578
• arturosbistro.com