Quality Foods Market

06/14/2026

You May Have Driven Past Us Hundreds of Times

Over the years, we've heard the same question more times than we can count:

"What exactly is Quality Foods Market?"

The honest answer is that we've been many things.

What began with humble deli offerings evolved into artisan pizza, wine tastings, educational classes, private dinners, and eventually the intimate restaurant experience we offer today.

Along the way, one thing never changed: the words in our name.

Quality Foods.

Whether it's a simple bowl of pasta, a carefully selected bottle of wine, or a special occasion dinner, our philosophy has always been the same—source the best ingredients we can find, prepare them with care, and welcome every guest as if they were dining in our home.

Our new Ristorante sign doesn't represent a change in direction. It simply makes it a little easier to understand who we've become.

Today, you'll find a menu crafted daily, an award-winning wine program, and a dining experience built around exceptional ingredients, expertly prepared dishes, and genuine hospitality.

If you've followed us for years, driven past us a hundred times, or always said, "We really need to try that place someday," we'd love to welcome you.

Reservations may be made on OpenTable.

https://www.opentable.com/r/quality-foods-market-lutz

— Chef Chris & Emily

06/13/2026

🥩 Father's Day Heritage Prime Rib Dinner

A hearty 16-ounce cut of 1881 Hereford Heritage prime rib, finished with a Dijon and herb crust and served with porcini-guanciale jus.

$129 per guest • Reservations now available on OpenTable

Costata Arrosto della Festa del Papà

🥗 Insalata Mista with housemade gorgonzola dressing

🥩 A hearty 16-ounce cut of 1881 Hereford Heritage prime rib, finished with a Dijon and herb crust and served with porcini-guanciale jus and carciofi alla romana.

Please note that this special Father's Day dinner will be the only menu offered during service. Our regular menu and additional antipasti selections will not be available.

📅 Sunday, June 15
📍 Quality Foods Market, Lutz

Reserve now on OpenTable.

05/13/2026

Well - it's that time of year again - the TBT's Best of the Best...

Ok, so we don't take it nearly as seriously as other places - this is and will be our only post on the subject. That said, if Emily and I are being honest about it, it is nice to be recognized.

This year we are nominated in several categories: Fine Dining, Italian, Pizza, Salad, Steak, and Wine Store.

Anyway, have some fun and check it out. Vote for your favorites in all the different categories. If we happen to be one of them, awesome! Regardless, show your love and support to all your favorites out there.

Know a company that deserves an award? Nominate and vote for your favorite local businesses in the Best of the Best contest here.

05/10/2026

Buona Festa Della Mamma!!

05/02/2026

Mother’s Day at Quality Foods Market

Reservations are now open to the public, and availability is already beginning to narrow.

Join us for a thoughtfully composed three-course experience, designed to be enjoyed at a relaxed, European pace in our intimate dining room.

Featuring 1881 Hereford Heritage filet with porcini jus and carciofi alla romana, along with a classic Torta della Nonna to finish. A celebratory toast will be offered for each mother upon arrival, with optional additions available, including pan-seared U8 Georges Bank sea scallops.

For many of our guests, Mother’s Day has become a tradition here. For others, it’s an opportunity to discover us for the first time.

$139 per guest
Reservations are limited and available through OpenTable.

—

04/05/2026

Buona Pasqua!

03/31/2026

🐣 We have a few early tables left for our Easter Prix-Fixe.

Join us this Easter Sunday for a four-course prix fixe menu inspired by traditional Roman tables.

Centered around the ingredients that define the holiday throughout Italy—eggs, lamb, and lemon—this menu reflects a style of cooking that is simple, seasonal, and deeply rooted in tradition.

Each course is prepared to order and served at a relaxed, European pace.

🍋 Menù di Pasqua 🕊

Uovo Ripieno
anchovy and caper heritage deviled egg

Insalata della Casa
seasonal greens, roasted campari and garlic vinaigrette

Costolette d’Agnello alla Brace
double-cut australian lamb chops, carciofi alla romana

Torta al Limoncello
house-made limoncello cake

$109 per guest

Reservations still available from 3:00pm - 4:30pm. Please book via OpenTable.

https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1043032&restref=1043032&experienceId=690110&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared&covers=2&dateTime=2026-04-05T15:00:00

03/17/2026

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit

While not quite the bash we throw here in the US, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated throughout Italy. Pictured below is the historical Roman Colosseum that is lit green at 9pm every March 17th.

But the party doesn't stop at the Colosseum...

In Milan they celebrate for an entire week with live Irish folk and rock music, traditional dance, photography exhibitions, and Irish food across various restaurants and bars.

In both Bologna & Padua they celebrate Irlanda in Festa, a multi-day festival featuring international and Italian folk bands, craft markets, and of course, Guiness!

In a small village called Torre San Patrizio (Tower of Saint Patrick) in the Marche region, St. Patrick's Day is taken very seriously due to its very namesake that goes back to the middle ages, and is the only Italian municipality named after St. Patrick.

Beyond the green illuminated Colosseum, Rome celebrates with Celtic music and Irish street food throughout the city.

And if you just want a good pint, Irish pubs abound in all the large cities of Italy where Italian hospitality meets Irish food and drink. Although do your research before going - there are many great authentic pubs in Italy, however with only about 5,000 Irish immigrants living there, many of the "Irish" pubs are Italian owned and operated providing a less than authentic experience.

03/11/2026

Buongiorno! Chef Chris here!

Italian Regions Americans Misunderstand — Part 5

Over the past few posts we’ve explored several regions that help show why Italian cuisine can’t simply be divided into “Northern” and “Southern.”

Today we finish the series in a region whose food the entire world recognizes: Campania.

Located along the southwestern coast of Italy, with Naples as its capital, Campania has given the world some of the most iconic ingredients and dishes in Italian cooking.

Pizza Napoletana.
San Marzano tomatoes.
Mozzarella di Bufala.

These products are so closely tied to the region that many carry DOP protections, meaning they can only be produced in specific areas under strict traditional methods.

San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soils around Mount Vesuvius, are prized for their balance of sweetness and acidity.

Mozzarella di Bufala comes from water buffalo raised in the marshy plains of southern Campania and is known for its delicate texture and rich flavor.

And then, of course, there is pizza.

The original pizza of Naples was a humble street food, built around simple ingredients: dough, tomatoes, olive oil, and sometimes mozzarella. What began as a food of the working class eventually became one of the most beloved dishes on the planet.

Campania also reminds us how strongly geography shapes cuisine. The region’s fertile volcanic soil, Mediterranean climate, and access to the sea produce an incredible variety of vegetables, seafood, and fruit that define its cooking.

But perhaps the biggest lesson from Campania — and from this entire series — is that Italian cuisine isn’t defined by a simple north-versus-south divide.

It’s defined by regions, traditions, agriculture, and history.

And often, the best way to understand Italian food is to look not just at the country as a whole, but at the small places and local traditions that shaped it.

Because in Italy, the story of food is almost always local.

03/10/2026

Ciao! Chef Chris here!

Italian Regions Americans Misunderstand — Part 4

In my last post, we talked about Rome and the cuisine of Lazio, where some of Italy’s most famous pasta dishes were born. Today we move just north into one of the country’s most historic and misunderstood culinary regions: Tuscany.

Many Americans assume Tuscan cooking revolves around tomato sauce and pasta, much like southern Italian cuisine.

In reality, Tuscany is famous for something quite different:
cucina povera, or “peasant cooking.”

Historically, Tuscany was not a particularly wealthy region, and its cuisine evolved around simplicity and resourcefulness. Originally the cuisine was based on abundant proteins like goat and lamb, root vegetables, olive oil, bread, and beans, with herbs being the primary seasoning instead of salt. Over centuries the cuisine has involved to focus on high-quality ingredients prepared with restraint. Sauces are used sparingly and tend to be light and quite the opposite of the rich tomato-based sauces of the southern regions.

Important to note, this "peasant" way of cooking goes back centuries, originating in medieval times, where high taxes and blockades on salt were imposed on Florence by Pisa, forcing the people of Tuscany to find ways to provide seasoning and flavor to their foods through the use of herbs and cooking techniques - like smoke.

Today, the lack of salt can still be seen in many Tuscan foods. Tuscan bread itself is made without salt and is the foundation for dishes like ribollita, a hearty vegetable and bean soup thickened with day-old bread; or panzanella, a rustic bread salad with tomatoes, olive oil, and vegetables.

Beans are so central to Tuscan cooking that people from the region are sometimes affectionately called “mangiafagioli” — bean eaters.

And then there is the region’s most famous dish: Bistecca alla Fiorentina - the massive porterhouse steak from the historic Chianina cattle breed (one of the oldest and largest breeds of cattle in the world), that originated as a festive dish, grilled simply over hot coals, and seasoned with little more than salt, pepper, and olive oil. And although today this would hardly be considered a peasant food, Bistecca alla Fiorentina was a celebratory meal that showcased the pride of Florence and its community, cooked in the style of cucina povera with minimal seasoning and consumed rare.

Tuscan cuisine reminds us that Italian cooking is often about letting exceptional ingredients speak for themselves, rather than covering them up with complicated techniques or heavy sauces.

Tomorrow we finish the series in the region that gave the world some of the most recognizable Italian foods of all: Campania — the home of pizza, San Marzano tomatoes, and mozzarella di bufala.