Photo by Alex Alfaro.

When Antonio Pariano traveled to Sarasota for a chef’s interview at Cafe Epicure more than 20 years ago, he took the Clark Road exit by mistake and ended up on Siesta Key. “I told my wife, this is the place,” Pariano says. “We’re going to live in this city.”

A culinary school graduate, Pariano had left Torino, Italy, for New York and cooked there for five years. With two children, the couple wanted an easier life. “Maybe less money, but money’s not everything,” he says. At Epicure, he befriended manager Luca Cassani, who also coveted his own restaurant. “I’m gonna be in the kitchen, you’re gonna be in the front of the house,” Pariano told him. They called the place Cassariano, after both surnames.

Opened in Venice in 2007, the eatery later moved a few doors down to a space with 150 seats and a full bar. They still run that original, which Pariano calls “our baby,” and The Lakewood Ranch menu mirrors it. “You eat in our restaurant like you eat in Italy today,” he says.

Andrea Bocelli serenades the room as servers deliver eye-catching, generously laden plates. Begin with the antipasto di mare, a cold salad of shell-on mussels, squid, octopus and shrimp, zesty with citrus and celery. Enjoy alongside the Italian Surfer, a refreshing, swiggable mix of coconut rum, Disaronno and pineapple juice. Next, ravioli di ricotta e noci: sumptuous pears riding horseback on housemade pasta plump with salty cheese and walnuts, dotted with gorgonzola sauce.

Popular mains include rack of lamb and veal scaloppine. The fish special, recently Gulf grouper, changes every few days, depending on supply. Save room for luscious chocolate mousse finished with whipped cream and a swipe of glossy ganache.

A new happy hour offers plates for $15 or less, from arancini and soup to penne or spaghetti with marinara or aglio olio, plus chicken or meatball. Wine and cocktails at $10 include a 1792 Old Fashioned and an Aperol Spritz. “A lot of people don’t want a whole dinner. They just want to enjoy a bite and a drink,” Pariano says.

Cassariano Italian Eatery, Sun-Thurs 4-9 pm, Fri-Sat, 4-10 pm, Happy Hour Mon-Thurs 4-6 pm, San Marco Plaza, 8209 Natures Way, Unit 103, Lakewood Ranch, 941-355-8615, cassariano.com

Photo by Alex Alfaro.