Think of Italian cuisine and thoughts of veal parmesan and lasagna automatically come to mind. This is about to change, courtesy of four childhood friends with a dream to introduce authentic, Venetian recipes to the Grand Strand.

The Venetian style of cooking demands two important factors: freshness and simplicity. The freshness factor blends perfectly with our abundance of fresh seafood and our local farms account for fresh vegetables. All of the vegetables are organic and, if possible, local. Every order of pasta is made fresh daily in-house with a pasta machine from Italy. A variety of desserts, including a delicious tiramisu, are made fresh daily in-house. The beef is USDA Prime Cut Angus and cut to order. All of the stocks and sauces are made from scratch. The menu is also 85 percent gluten free.

The essence of this style of cooking is embodied and displayed in one particular menu item—the Seafood Tagliatelle—a pasta dish with flavorful local shrimp, tender mussels from Nova Scotia and wild-caught calamari, cooked to perfection in a marinara sauce with heavy cream and stock over fresh pasta.
There is also a brick oven for pizza which reaches a brick temperature of 600 degrees and an interior temperature of 400 degrees. After dinner, a beautifully appointed piano bar awaits with a local pianist Sunday through Thursday and jazz bands on Friday and Saturday.

Prices range from $9–$17 for appetizers and $16–$31 for main dishes. Early bird specials are offered from 4–6 p.m. An impressive wine pairing for all meals is available on the menu.

La Festa
9911 N. Kings Highway
Myrtle Beach (old Cagney’s location)
(843) 945-9288
www.lafestarestaurant.com
Hours: Opens at 4 p.m. daily