A Brazilian restaurateur and the former executive chef for Dennis Max’s restaurants have teamed up to open a stylish contemporary Italian trattoria in Boca Raton.
Ovenella (499 S. Federal Hwy., 561-395-1455) is the creation of proprietor Ferraretto Davila and chef Mennan Tekeli, who along with celebrated mixologist Coleman Leitch are bringing a casual yet hip urban vibe to the former Saba restaurant space.
Indoors the sleek, minimalistic décor features a black, gray and silver color scheme, with white acrylic artworks, a centerpiece bar and chandelier, oak-fired pizza oven, and large outdoor patio.
Tekeli’s menu features a roster of artisan pizzas, both red-sauced and not, ranging from the classic Margherita with fresh basil and house-made mozzarella to a vaguely Spanish pie with bacalao, caramelized onions, potatoes and mozzarella to a seafood pizza boasting shrimp, scallops and calamari with basil pesto and tomatoes.
Other dishes include rigatoni Bolognese, vegetarian lasagna, roasted salmon with preserved lemon gremolata, espresso and peppercorn-crusted filet mignon, and an apple tart baked in the wood-fired oven.
Leitch’s cocktails are channeling the furiously trendy New York mixology scene, whether reviving decades-old drinks like the gin-basil martini or using house-made mixes and garnishes in pours like the bacon-maple Old Fashioned and blueberry-acai mojito.
