Don's Italian - Dania Beach

Don and Vinny’s is my kind of place. A small place, in a shopping center, where you are greeted like long lost family and treated as such, too. Occasionally, Vinny comes out from the kitchen with his bandanna to ask around, “is it good? Do you like? Everything okay?” Michelle and I were introduced to Don and Vinny’s by my sister Lydia and brother-in-law Pepe on a Saturday night a couple of months ago. We were both impressed with the homey feeling and the tasty food. The pasta fagioli was excellent and the combo of breads kept me busy while our orders were being made. I had the Chicken Scarpata but asked for it with red sauce over penne instead of brown sauce and potatoes. It was superb! Michelle had Shrimp Marinara and thought it was about average. Once I finished I knew I would be coming back. Lo and behold, Pepe invited us to Don and Vinny’s to celebrate Lydia’s SURPRISE birthday I won’t divulge which birthday) on December 11th. It was a double surprise because Pepe didn’t know that his daughter, Alicia and her husband Dan, invited about 25 of Lydia’s friends to join us. Andrew, Jen, and Jillian were there, too! Even Dale and Sherree were there. That night I had the Rigatoni di Casa, the most asked for dish on the menu, and it was excellent. I ate it all, so a take home box was not necessary. Michelle enjoyed her Chicken Marinara over pasta. A large birthday cake with sparklers was presented and Lydia gave a great toast. It was a really fun evening and the great folks at Don and Vinny’s, including Jesse and Jamie, were extremely accommodating and very patient! It’s really difficult to wait on 25 people all at once, but they had it under control and did it with a smile. If you are looking for a good Italian restaurant in the Dania/East Hollywood area you might want to check this place out.