Ristorante Firenze: Maryland's Favorite New Restaurant?

REISTERSTOWN, MD – Reisterstown's very own Ristorante Firenze is among five establishments in the running for favorite new restaurant in Maryland for 2016.

The public is encouraged to weigh in to shape the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s annual rankings, and online voting is open until March 30. Vote here.

Brothers Larry and Brian Leonardi, who own Ristorante Firenze, grew up in Little Italy, the grandchildren of Italian immigrants. Their restaurant specializes in Italian recipes passed down generations—with some Baltimore touches mixed in (e.g., crab bruschetta).

Ristorante Firenze makes its own pastas from scratch each day. Popular dishes on the menu include fried calamari, Caesar salad, eggplant Caprese tower, rigatoni a la mama, mussels marinara and fried mozzarella.

Have you been to Ristorante Firenze? Tell us what you ordered in the comments!

Other contenders for the restaurant association's "Favorite New Restaurant" title are Ananda in Fulton, Encantada in Baltimore, Pistarro's Ristorante in Frederick and Preserve in Annapolis.

To qualify for the favorite new restaurant, an establishment has to be open for less than two years. Ristorante Firenze opened in February 2015.

Winners will be announced at the Restaurant Association of Maryland's Stars of the Industry Awards Gala on May 1.

Related: Ristorante Firenze Opens in Historic Reisterstown

Ristorante Firenze is located at 2 Hanover Road in Reisterstown.