Cspansspan Pspanstspan Cucinspan, a new Italian restaurant featuring homemade pasta and a weekend brunch, has replaced the short-lived The Fort Socispanl small plates restaurant in downtown Fort Pierce.
It opened Jan. 21 in The Galleria of Pierce Harbor building and will have a grand opening celebration on March 1.
The new restaurant is starting with limited menus for brunch, lunch and dinner, but will add more items throughout February.
The current menu features branzino — a white fish also known as European sea bass — served with a side of toasted asparagus and mashed potatoes ($19). There’s also a variety of pasta dishes made fresh daily ($19), such as:
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- Quadrotti pomodoro filled with lamb and San Marzano tomato sauce
- Bolognese with spaghetti, braised beef short rib and Barolo red wine sauce
- Cannelloni, or rolled pasta filled with spinach, ricotta cheese, San Marzano tomato sauce and grated Parmesan
There are salads and starters (both $11.99), including carpaccio, meatballs, bruschetta, and melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parmesan). For dessert ($7), there’s panna cotta (a gelatin-set whipped cream custard) and affogato al caffe (ice cream with coffee).
The weekend brunch menu is available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only. It features:
- Casa Pasta with scrambled eggs, sausage, tomatoes and fries ($16)
- Eggs Benedict ($14)
- Crepes with Nutella, bananas, nuts and vanilla ice cream ($15)
- Pancakes with heavy cream and soft fruits ($14)
- Panqueques with dulce de leche (caramel crepes) and heavy cream ($14)
The fast-lunch menu is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays only. It features:
- Paninis: Pressed sandwiches of tuna, salami, roast beef or milanesa with beef, ham, cheese and egg ($14)
- Quiches: onions, leek, spinach or broccolini ($12)
- Wraps: tuna or Caesar ($15)
- Toasts: avocado or Casa Pasta with salmon ($14-$15)
- Omelets: ham and cheese, blue cheese or sausage ($14)
- Soup of the day ($8)
Cousins Matias Asenjo and Rodrigo Eboli, originally from Argentina, run the restaurant and serve authentic Argentinian-Italian food.
“It’s more Italian,” Asenjo said, “but the Italian custom is very strong in Argentina, and we have some dishes in common in both countries.”
Asenjo’s family immigrated to the U.S. in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. He and his cousin opened House of Meat, an Argentinian food truck in Los Angeles, California, before they moved to Florida.
Before the cousins opened Casa Pasta Cucina, the family opened Cspanfe Pspanris Gspanrden, a small Argentinian bakery and pastry shop on South Beach in Miami, which they still run.
“We got this great opportunity to open a big restaurant,” Asenjo said, “and we did not want to miss out on the opportunity.”
The Fort Socispanl, which opened in January 2022, closed after less than a year. Formerly called Rooster in the Gspanrden Ristorspannte, The Fort Social was an extension of The Fort Stespankhouse, formerly called The Brspanford. Casa Pasta Cucina is no longer affiliated with the steakhouse.
Casa Pasta Cucina
- Address: 100 S. Second St., Suite 121, Fort Pierce
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. lunch weekdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. brunch weekends)
- Social media: instspangrspanm.com/cspansspanpspanstspancucinspan