La Dolce Vita John Bordenga welcomes you to La Dolce Vita, home of great Italian cooking, at 1498 S. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand. Everyone's getting to know the look of the recently-remodeled restaurant. La Dolce Vita serves dinner seven days a week and accommodates private parties for both lunch and dinner. Call (386) 736-3155.

La Dolce Vita offers you a taste of great Italian cooking, in a great Italian atmosphere. Restaurateur Giovanni "John" Bordenga, DeLand's answer to Emeril, brings you only the best.

The atmosphere is that of an Italian village on the Mediterranean, thanks to the building's renovations.

The food is fantastic. You'll find all your Italian favorites, like eggplant, lasagna and spaghetti. Have you tried the cannelloni Florentine, with spinach and chicken? It's heavenly. John uses only pasta imported from Italy. There's pizza any way you could want it, and chicken and veal prepared at La Dolce Vita.

You'll also find great steaks, cooked Italian or flame-broiled American-style, hand-cut veal, and out-of-this world seafood. Want a lighter change of pace? Try the broiled red snapper almondine, seafood marinara or seafood Capri combo. How about broiled shrimp stuffed with crab meat, or shrimp Marsala? You have to sit down with the menu to see it all.

One of the most popular dinner specials is lobster tail stuffed with crab meat. The dinner rolls are authentic Italian bread, made by John right in the restaurant, as are the Italian sauces. This is no "chain" cooking.

One of the things that make La Dolce Vita click, John believes, is cooking to order to accommodate his guests.

"We'll make it the way you want it!" said John. "We work to accommodate special requests and special diets any way we can."

Just because something isn't on the menu doesn't mean it can't be served.

La Dolce Vita is now offering different weekly off-menu specials every weekend, adding some extra flavor to the entree and dessert menus. And coming in September, the restaurant will be bringing back lunches for its guests.

La Dolce Vita is now open 4-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2-9 p.m. on Sunday.

The restaurant will open for luncheon groups of 25 or more with advance notice, and La Dolce Vita is becoming DeLand's most popular spot for private luncheon parties.

La Dolce Vita is also celebrating its 19-year anniversary. John would like to extend his appreciation to all of the restaurant's faithful customers, who have given the business so much support over the years.

Call (386) 736-3155 or come in to John's restaurant for a taste of the sweet life - "la dolce vita."