A friend of mine named Eric that I haven't seen for years posted a photo on his Facebook wall the other day that looked delicious. It was a picture of a pizza from a place in Fort Lauderdale called Osteria Acqua Farina and I was amazed I hadn't heard of this place before.

I reached out to Eric and asked him where it was and if it was as good as it looked. He responded by saying it was in his top 3 pizza places in South Florida, so I knew I would have to try it. After suggesting to him that we meet up to try it, we ultimately met there the other day.

Upon entering Osteria Acqua & Farina we were greeted with a beautiful aroma. It was the type of smell that immediately lets you know that the chef uses the freshest and finest of ingredients. I knew we were in for something good, since you cannot fake this sort of genuine fragrance.

Our waiter was named Joe, but I cannot say that he was the best part of our pizza experience at Osteria Acqua & Farina in Fort Lauderdale. He really didn't listen and even though he was attentive to us, he really didn't seem to get most of what we said to him.

I ordered up the Margherita Pizza which was $11.00 with no basil. After I ordered the dining area started to get busy on this weekday evening. I turned around and watched the pizza maker carefully craft my pie and place it into their wood burning oven. A few minutes later out came a beautiful looking pie that was bubbling in the center, and full of a fresh fruity olive oil that caused me to salivate.

Upon trying to take my first bite, it became immediately evident that the pizza wasn't properly cooked. You can see by the severe charring on the outside that it was baked a bit too long, but the center was completely runny and too soggy to sometimes even lift with a fork. This was almost like eating pizza soup. What I was able to pick up and get into my mouth tasted delightful though. The fresh mozzarella blended perfectly with the lightly applied sweet tasting sauce. This is one of the better sauces I have had at a wood fired pizzeria. It was almost as good as Tucci's Pizza in Boca Raton.

The crust was the area that needs some improvement. If it was cooked a bit better this pizza could be one of the better ones I have also had in South Florida. Eric wasn't too far off on his assessment of Osteria Acqua & Farina in Fort Lauderdale. As far as Fort Lauderdale goes as a city, this is one of the better tasting pizzas I have had.

Osteria Acqua & Farina in Fort Lauderdale gets 6 out of 8 slices. I am definitely going back.