Decent Italian, Out-of-This-World Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and Crustiest Bread Around: The Best of Ojai (near Santa Barbara)

I wasn't sure what to expect when we took a road trip to Ojai for the weekend, but it turned out to be all that it was cracked up to be -- relaxing and quaint, with a few unforgettable gems thrown in. Our first stop was OMG! - Osteria Monte Grappa, a cute little Italian place with a nice outdoor patio that purports to serve authentic Italian food. The pan fried calamari in a tomato sauce with a slice of polenta sporting the perfect grill marks was ok but the squid wasn't top quality.

I liked that the bread was warm although in Italy serving fresh, warm bread usually seemed to be the last thing on restaurateurs' minds. Anyway, we used the bread as sponges to absorb the tomato juice in the calamari dish.

It was fun trying some of the local wines -- an Ojai rose that I craved due to the severe heat. It was 7pm and barely under 100 degrees!

The first pleasant surprise was the grilled beet salad, which came with radicchio, green beans and shaved parmesan. I usually like my radicchio grilled so its bitterness is tempered but the revelation was definitely the grilled beets. The tiny beets themselves were bursting with flavor. They seemed like they were just picked in the restaurant's own garden. They were naturally sweet but they also had smoky undertones from the grill, which first made me happy but then made me wonder if they had added any liquid smoke to infuse a smoky flavor.

Nah. It's got to be natural, right? Well, I'll never know. But they weren't smoky to the point of being overpowering. They were just right and added a whole new dimension to the beet salad I had never tasted before. Brownie points.

The first pasta, penne with eggplant, tomatoes and chunks of burrata was just average. I liked its lightness.

Revelation #2 came with the fettuccine pesto with monkfish, green beans (OMG evidently likes its green beans -- never seen so much of it in Italian food before) and bell peppers. What I liked about it was that it didn't taste too heavy like most pestos I've had. I've had very few pestos that I loved. This was came very close. Purists may say it was too watery or that one couldn't taste the basil as much. Guilty on all accounts. But I actually liked the subtle basil taste. One of my dinner companions and I were positive this pesto had more than basil -- we tasted mint, for instance. But the menu cryptically presented the dish as "local herbs pesto," whatever that means. We asked the hostess and server but they insisted it was mostly basil, maybe with some parsley. Parsley?! We swore we detected mint in there but apparently none was used. In any case, I had never had pesto with fish, only solo, with veggies or shrimp. So it was a nice combo that I hope to have again.

And now, for the third and last revelation -- the cheesecake. I've never had cheesecake in Italy so not sure how authentic it was and it wasn't the most attractive-looking piece of cake. But oh, it was the perfect end to a good meal. It wasn't too sweet, which is always a pet peeve of mine for desserts. The raspberry sauce was subtle and the cheese flavor was just enough to appreciate the fact that it's a cheesecake. Italians seem to use ricotta for their cheesecakes but not sure ricotta was used for this version. In any case, it was solid.

The sorbets were good too although not exactly revelatory. The lime sorbet was the best, followed by peach.

Definitely a place I'd like to return to, save for the weird server who carded us (normally would have been flattered but he was creepy!) when we ordered wine and gratuitously kept calling us "love." You're not in London and you're not English, dude!

The next day, we discovered some amazing gems at the Farmers' Market despite the scorching weather. We managed to get the sweetest yellow peaches and juicy plums from the stands. I got the most delicious crusty bread from New Vineland Bread, which is part of a well-known winery in Lompoc that sounds very promising (note to self: must visit soon). I also stopped by Mt. Olive Company's stand, which had the most amazing jams. So amazing, in fact, that I got the peach and nectarine one spiked with chili sauce.

The kicker was the strawberry rhubarb pie from Marcie's Pies/Jimenez Family Farm that was, quite simply, out of this world. I'm a huge pie snob and this was one was, again, not too sweet, and the fruit filling was clearly made with the best quality ingredients where you can really taste the sweetness. You know how many fruit just don't taste like anything anymore? Well, you could definitely taste these berries and rhubarb. This was my very first rhubarb pie and it was divine.

I mean, take one look at this pie. It's a veritable beauty! I just learned much to my delight that I won't have to trek all the way to Ojai to have another one of Marcie's Pies because they come out to the Farmers' Markets in Santa Monica and Hollywood. Woo hoo!! Big thumbs up.

 

After nearly melting away in the sun, we headed to Oak Grill at the massively expansive Ojai Valley Inn & Spa to seek refuge in the wonderfully air conditioned interior.

The bread was freshly baked and warm. The butter was notably good. I had the slow-cooked barbecued braised beef sandwich that came with roasted green chiles, arugula, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli on a toasted potato bread bun. It was excellent. Picture-perfect grounds. Impeccable service. All this doesn't come cheap but lunch is more affordable than dinner.  Plus, you get the view.

Try going to Ojai for a weekend getaway. It's close enough and its greenery and remote feel still make you feel like you've escaped the city.

Luggage Room Pizzeria: Promising but a Miss

I had somewhat high hopes for The Luggage Room Pizzeria in Pasadena after reading some of the message boards and hearing about it from a fellow foodie friend. Then I heard it was from the owners of the adjacent La Grande Orange. First red flag. Aside from a slightly decent burger, I hadn't been impressed. Didn't like the vibe or decor there. And I felt somewhat the same way about the ambiance at  Luggage. Plus, I have yet to find a fantastic eatery in Pasadena (cue the hate mail from impassioned Pasadenos). Call me a hater, but it's true.

I entered fully prepared to like this place. I even refrained from a chance to have pizza for lunch to save myself for this pie.

But you guessed it. I was disappointed. I had been excited about the prospects of being able to top my pies with extra freebies like egg. Looks the part above, right?

Well, the crust didn't quite cut it for me. Ok, I am a crust snob. Fine, I am an everything snob. But I can't help it if I've tried the most amazing pizza in Napoli and can't get it out of my head. It set the standard and I can't go back. The crust should be crispy yet substantive enough to be able to hold the cheese, tomato sauce and other light toppings without getting too soggy. I long for light and airy pizza where you don't feel heavy at all even after four slices. I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to burgers and pizzas, but Mozza for sure and Olio does a better one than this place.

Let's start with the good -- the kale and quinoa salad. Kale seems to be making a comeback and that's a good thing if it means getting more vitamins and calcium into my body. It came shredded with some shaved Parmesan cheese and tomatoes but the nice touch was the crunch and nuttiness from the sunflower seeds. It was like a speed cleansing to prep my stomach for the unhealthy food about to make its way. The dressing was light and lemony. Thumbs up. See, I'm not always scathing.

But that was the extent of the somewhat positive experience. Service was good but the clunky wooden trays they brought the pizzas on were inconvenient and miscalculated for the small tables, especially since we had ordered three pies. Why disincentivize (I hope that's a word) ordering multiple pies and make it hard to place on the table?

The white wine Sangria that our server claimed was one of its signature drinks was basically 99% ice, 2 grape halves, one tiny orange wedge and one teaspoon of wine. Weak. I drank it because it was cold. But I can confidently say that my Sangria is at least five times better.

We got the classic Margherita, one with Italian sausage, fennel and roasted red peppers and another one with burrata, roasted garlic, piquillo peppers and balsamic reduction. The last one we topped with an over-easy egg for free. I give them props for offering the option of adding cool toppings like egg, broccolini, fresno chiles, roasted garlic, etc, for free. But alas, while I loved the egg, it wasn't able to save the mediocre pizza.

Margherita is my pizzometer wherever I go. And this didn't exactly pass. Serviceable, but not enough to want to return. My love of piquillo peppers drew me to that pie but I could barely taste them, not to mention the roasted garlic.

The sausage and fennel one was probably last  among my ranking of pizzas we had. But I am biased against meat in my pizzas. Yes, the carnivore extraordinaire, the one who adds bacon and meat to everything does not like to have meat in pizza.

We had a bunch of leftovers so my dinner mates and I took some home...and had them for breakfast with an egg the next day. Sure, eggs always take things up a notch but the pizzas were still too salty without too much else in terms of flavor.

None of the desserts enticed us so we passed.

Needless to say, I'm glad I tried it but I won't be returning.

Credits to photos 4 & 5 go to ctg. Thank you!

Cooking: What To Do With Leftover Basil -- Super Easy Walnut Pesto

I recently bought a bunch of fresh basil to have some Caprese salad but there's only so much basil I can have. So once the buffalo mozzarella or heirloom tomatoes ran out, I was stuck with these super fragrant basil leaves.

I'm usually not a huge fan of pesto unless it's served in small doses as a sauce of some kind to fish or meats. So I took matters into my own hands and concocted my own. I didn't really measure anything. I don't think you need to. Just took the thick stems off of the basil and placed them in a food processor that has a lid with an opening to pour the olive oil into once it starts running. Then I added some garlic, pecans (never seen this done but I had had walnut pesto so figured it'd be ok -- you could probably substitute with almonds or of course, the OG, pine nuts) and grated Parmesan cheese. I turned the switch on and as it went, I slowly added the olive oil through the lid with the opening until I saw a creamy consistency. Then I seasoned it to taste, added fresh lemon juice to get rid of the heavy oil smell that was a turnoff for me and a whiff of agave that I probably shouldn't have added. Finished it off with freshly ground pepper and it was good to go. Oh, I also added some cayenne pepper for some kick and it was barely noticeable but added an interesting layer of flavor.


I tried to recreate one of the few pesto pasta dishes that I will eat -- from all places, a tiny hole in the wall in downtown Seoul called Pomodoro (no relation to the local chain here). It used to serve pesto with prawns and spaghetti. I browned some cut-up shrimp and added the prepared pesto while the pasta was cooking. Once pasta was almost done (after about 9 minutes for spaghetti), I strained it and added the pasta to the pan with the shrimp pesto -- smothered it and presto (no pun intended). Bon appetito~

Cooking: The Secret to Quick and Delish Spaghetti Al Ragu

I know that pasta is one of the easiest things to make at home. And among those, spaghetti al ragu, or bolognese as it's known here, is one of the easiest to make. But I wanted to share a revelation I had recently about what makes the sauce taste better.

I usually start by sauteing the ground beef with some minced garlic and chopped onions in olive oil, then add San Marzano canned tomatoes and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. I know the OG recipes for ragu require a mix of ground pork and other meats but consider this al ragu light when in a pinch.


The upside is multi-tasking is easy for this recipe. You can bring a huge pot of water to a boil while you do this so that by the time the sauce has simmered for a while, the water will be ready and you can throw in the spaghetti to cook it for about 9-11 minutes (add salt to the water).

All you need to do for the sauce is season it with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and the secret ingredient to making it taste not as bitter from the tomato sauce is sugar! I add a little bit of agave to the sauce and presto -- you got a nice bowl of spaghetti al ragu. Ok, the OG recipe may call for tomato paste instead of crushed tomatoes and may require a trio of carrots, onions and celery for flavoring but I said it was al ragu light!

This was an epiphany for me (the adding sugar part) so hopefully it is helpful for your pasta cooking adventures too.Sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan and you're good to go.

Olio Pizzeria & Cafe: Good Neighborhood Pizza Joint

It's always nice to find a cute little neighborhood joint that serves decent pizza with fresh-made fruit juices. Olio Pizzeria & Cafe is that kind of place, almost invisible in the corner of Third and Crescent Heights. The place is pretty tiny, although seemingly child-friendly with a few bar seats and about five tables. We went there for a late lunch (or early dinner) around 5pm and found it fairly empty.

It makes fresh sodas and both the tangelo one and lemonade were very good -- refreshing and not too sweet.


We got a half Margherita and half pizza that had prosciutto, Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese (it's usually served with Italian sausage but they had run out, which was better for me since I don't like Italian sausage much).

The Margherita was pretty good. The crust was crispy, charred well and chewy and substantial at the same time. I usually leave the crust out when eating pizza, but I readily ate all the crusts because they were tasty, like eating bread.

The other half was a bit too busy for my taste. Too much going on with the prosciutto cubes, greens and a ton of cherry tomatoes. I liked the combo of salty prosciutto with slightly bitter greens with sweetness of tomatoes, but just too many toppings was overwhelming. Think they should use toppings in moderation.

We started with a greens salad that had a very interesting mix of roasted apples and walnuts with a light dressing. The greens were good, but the roasted apple was my favorite part. A nice and different touch you don't see much in other salads. I'd seen raw apples in goat cheese, beet-like salads but rarely roasted. It helps because I've found myself developing an allergy to raw apples, which makes me really sad but just have to cope with it, I guess. Sigh.

Service was good. Parking is street parking. Think this is the kind of place that's going to get crowded during peak hours very soon. It also has a Santa Barbara location.

Obika: Step 1 - Order All Samplers, Step 2 - Mix & Match to Great Results

I've been wanting to try Obika, a Mozzarella bar that is an Italian chain with locations worldwide...including two in LA malls, of all places. It was an odd-sounding Italian word, but it turns out Obika means "here it is" in the Neapolitan dialect. The space was quaint and intimate, and we went in famished, longing for some serious cheese pampering (plus some wine, of course).

We went crazy with the sampling: mozzarella sampler alongside a cured meats sampler plus a grilled veggie sampler to save our lives, then onto the dessert sampler. But first things first.


The cheese sampler, called degustazione of buffalo mozzarella, consisted of smoked mozzarella, fresh mozzarella and burrata, which is made from mozzarella and cream and is insanely, well, creamy and delicious. The smoked one was far too smoky for me. Whatever happened to subtlety? The fresh one was fine but didn't blow me away. It honestly tasted close to the store-bought one floating in the water that I get when I make caprese salad. The spinach and utterly flavorless cherry tomatoes and super salty olives didn't help too much. But wait.

Thank God for the match made in heaven -- ham and cheese. We chose as our three cured meats prosciutto, speck and culatello, which came with arugula and cherry tomatoes. Once we started pairing a piece of prosciutto, arugula and a dollop of burrata, forget about it. The combinations were what made this experience so great. The wines by the glass were the icing -- good selection and great pairings.




I also liked that the cured meats where sliced razor thin, just the way I like it! Sure, we only got like two lousy slices for each kind but they definitely did the trick for us. I'd say I liked all combinations of cured meat, burrata plus arugula. The spinach variation wasn't as good, and don't get me started on the bread and quality of tomatoes. I understand it's not tomato season yet but even Trader Joe's has better tomatoes than the ones served here. We'd been warned about the bread, which included different varieties like focaccia and other doughy matter that I didn't care to consume because they were either too dry or flavorless (crazy considering good bakery Breadbar is just downstairs in the Century City mall).

One additional sampler we had was the grilled vegetables one and I do recommend it, and not just because it balances out the meat and cheese. A platter of grilled zucchini, eggplant and radicchio made the ham and cheese experience even better. The vegetables were perfectly charred although they seemed to have been grilled a while back. Still, mix and match the three platters and you'll enjoy the ride. I don't even like raw radicchio but grilled, it has a whole new dimension of flavor and texture. Yum.

We wavered between pasta dishes but ended up getting the spinach and ricotta ravioli. We wanted to compare it to our favorite one from Girasole. Not surprisingly, it didn't come close and we had to salt it because it was pretty bland. I could tell the pasta dough was fresh indeed but the seasoning was virtually non-existent.

The dessert sampler came with a ricotta cheese mousse with honey, orange peel and toasted pine nuts; a torta caprese, which was a flourless chocolate and almond cake; and the classic tiramisu. Of the three, I liked the tiramisu the most, although my only beef was that the mascapone cheese seemed a bit on the overly creamy side. But I loved the moist ladyfingers submerged in the mascapone cheese and expresso, and dusted with some cocoa powder. The cake was dry and tasteless. It should have come with some kind of hazelnut gelato or something. It needs something. Otherwise, they shouldn't make it so dry. The ricotta mousse was interesting but ultimately didn't wow me.

The tables are a bit on close side to each other but nose level is not too bad. I'm not sure if I'd go just to go there but it's an ideal place for a pre- or post-movie hangout to munch on some very fresh (allegedly shipped 3 times a week from Italy) ham and cheese, and sip some wine to boot.

Enoteca Drago is a Drag

I should have seen it coming. I was never a big fan of other Drago joints like Drago Centro but I've wanted to try Enoteca Drago so dinela was a good excuse to do so. The food was utterly disappointing, as was the service, especially for a place with that kind of reputation and prices. For the first course, we had shrimp ravioli with lobster sauce and zucchini puree. Everything about this dish was a dud. The shrimps that came on top of the ravioli were not fresh-tasting. I couldn't taste the lobster in the sauce at all or the ravioli itself. Oh my: the ravioli seemed to have been hurriedly thawed from the freezer after having sat there for one too many days. Pretty awful.


We got adventurous and tried vitello tonnato, a dish that our server described as veal carpaccio that had been slightly seared. Well, this one seemed to be an interpretation of the classic as it didn't come in a creamy sauce flavored with tuna. Instead, it came with a caper and sundried tomato vinaigrette. First of all, I think the servers are doing a disservice to the restaurant by associating it with carpaccio, which it most definitely is not. There was nothing raw about it. So better to adjust expectations beforehand. I love being surprised, except this wasn't a pleasant one. The dish was bland period.

Unfortunately, the main courses weren't any better. The fish came pan-fried on a bed of lentils, some parsley flavored oil, tomato marmalade relish and topped with some fresh arugula. So bland. So blah.

The braised short ribs with far-too buttery mashed potatoes, onions, pancetta and mushroom ragout (not listed on the menu but I thought I also tasted some diced collard greens that actually added a nice bitterness) was alright, but I've definitely had better short ribs. It went well with the more full-bodied red wine we got as part of a three-wine flight (we love flights). There were some steamed carrots. Meh.

The desserts were really not even worth mentioning, except for the orange black pepper sorbet and almond ice cream. They sounded so promising (chocolate hazelnut crunch bar and peach Napoleon with peach chutney) but they both fell flat. The sorbet and ice cream were all we scooped out.

The service was spotty. I expected it to be more adept. Maybe they were busy tending to actress Milas Kunis sitting a few tables away? In any case, I didn't like that they kept trying to take our plates away before we were done -- a major pet peeve -- and that they didn't think we had enough of leftovers on our plate to box them. Hey! If we're going to pay for them, we're taking it all. We insisted, of course, and later repurposed the fish by adding more salt and pepper to good results. I think the leftover rib meat was used for some breakfast quesadilla...

I most definitely will not be returning. I don't think this place caters to food-lovers like myself anyway. It's more of a see-and-be-seen kind of place at the heart of Beverly Hills, where you could presumably people-watch or star-gaze. It's not even close to being a quality food joint. I've never been to Drago in Santa Monica but after being disappointed twice in two of his restaurants, not sure what would compel me to go. I'm sticking to my favorite Italian places, Girasole and Osteria Mozza for now!

Veto Vito's Pizza and Pass on Pinches Tacos in WeHo

I've been reviewing the good, so it's time to review the bad. Pinches Tacos and Vito's Pizza, both in West Hollywood.

The carne asada tacos were tough and the meat was not well-seasoned, just overly salty and flavorless. Then they got the order wrong -- brought us chicken mole tacos instead of the grilled chicken we wanted, and were too hungry to take back by the time we got our food. Still searching for that decent Mexican joint near me that I can stop by for a decent taco when I have a hankering...

Nor have I found a good pizzeria near me that serves half-way decent pizza. I tried Vito's after reading some raves on message boards, but to no avail.


My dinner companion and I tried several types of pizza, including the Margherita, which was ok and the white pizza, which had mascapone cheese, and was the best, in my opinion. Maybe it was the novelty of pairing mascapone cheese with pizza. One could say it was a bit of cheese overload but I personally can never have enough cheese so it wasn't a problem.

The pesto one was soso, as was the one with sausage and pepperoni. I usually don't like meat on my pies, so that may have biased the ranking.

I still like the Pizzeria Mozza for high-end, but in search of an equally juicy and flavorful Margherita topped with fresh basil for a fraction of the price.

Eat Not at Eatalian: Worst Pasta I've Had in Years

I was so disappointed by the food and service at Eatalian that I vowed never to return again. So not worth the drive out to "Gardena," (closer to Harbor Gateway and Compton, actually). The space was great -- open, airy and very modern-cafeteria. The high ceilings reminded me of Bottega Louie, but Eatalian is a lot less fancy than that.

The only redeeming thing about this place was the pizza. I was a bit perplexed that the Margherita didn't have any basil on it, but I figured everyone must have their own version of Margherita. So I got the "speciale," that includes cherry tomatoes and basil. Maybe the menu should have specified that it only comes with 5 little slivers of basil, because they really skimped on the basil that usually adds so much flavor to the pizza. I'm talking fresh, large, full-leaves of basil sprinkled on top of the pizza.


The pizza crust was decent -- thin, crispy and not too chewy like those cheap ones. But there wasn't enough tomato and because there was more cheese than tomato, or maybe because they had oversalted it, it was too salty. I liked the fresh mozzarella blobs but I don't think it was enough for me to want to return.

The pastas were dismal to say the least. Thank god I was able to take one back and not get charged for it. The biggest culprit was the "handmade" tagliatelle al ragu. Oh my god. It was the single most bland thing I've put in my mouth in years. It tasted like a mush of nothingness over some flat spinach noodles. There was ground meat in it but it didn't taste like anything.
The tomato sauce tasted as bland as the meat. Normally, I would think about ways to add flavor to it from my home kitchen. I was thinking, would it taste better with some garlic added or, what a thought, salt?

I actually tried adding salt but it didn't do much for it.

Then the spaghetti carbonara wasn't much better. The pancetta seemed well cooked enough, crispy and porky as they should be. But what happened to flavor again? It looked like a perfectly serviceable carbonara with its "egginess" from the raw egg and cheese mixture and bits of pancetta throughout. And both pasta were cooked al dente. But that wasn't the issue.



The pasta was totally bland, again. So I proceeded to add more salt and pepper to add flavor. Because carbonara is a more simple dish, I feel, it actually helped to salt and pepper it. It was edible. I didn't take it back, but the tagliatelle, I had to. It just wasn't salvageable by any means. Not even Thomas Keller or Ferran Adria could have saved this dish.

Don't even get me started on the shoddy and slow service. Ok, our guy didn't charge us for the awful pasta. But this place is clearly short-staffed and it needs to beef up staff or somehow improve the quality of the service. Everyone's running around like chicken without their heads.

Also, this place also clearly got more business than it can handle. That was apparent in the diluted quality of the food. I'm sure it wasn't like that when the LA Times or West Ways magazine gave it rave reviews.

Whenever I run into places like these, I think about Hillstone Group that owns places like Houston's or R+D, etc. All restaurants are chains and are always inundated with customers but always have great service with great food. It's all in the training, experience and philosophy of the management. Maybe Eatalian bit off more than it could chew. I really wanted to like this place because it's a great concept and I wanted to an affordable place to go for good Margherita pizza (can't always go to Mozza, right?).

The gelato was totally unremarkable -- had the Bacio and mango. Yuck. The pastries that they sold there, like chocolate croissant and "cannellino," were downright bad. Maybe this is their version of chocolate croissant and I'm very picky when it comes to this. The chocolate was like chocolate custard instead of the dark brown chocolate essence in the best croissants. Yuck! And the cannellinos, well, I've never had one of these but if it's supposed to be their version of cannolis, they were really bad. They used a soft puff pastry shell instead of a hard shell and the custard was not good. I'm not a big fan of cannolis but even I was put off by this lame impersonation of the real deal. If I'm the lame one by not knowing this is the way they should be, my bad.

Hope this place improves but I'm not returning until I have word of mouth from trusted sources about its comeback.

Girasole: My New Favorite Italian in LA

Ok, so I just got back from Italy a few months ago. But even after all that pasta, a brief hiatus left me wanting more. My dining companion and I ventured out to find the best BYOB in town, so we stumbled upon Girasole on Larchmont.

What a find. I can't believe I'd passed by it so many times all these years and never discovered this truly hidden gem! There are many things to love about this place.


1) BYOB with no corkage

Can't beat that. Prices are a bit higher than your average Italian joint but then again, this isn't your average Italian joint.

2) Cozy, family-run place

It's tiny so reservations are a must and I don't recommend big parties of more than four. I love the neighborhood joint-feel of it.

3) Last but certainly not least, the fantastic food

I was so pleasantly surprised when I ordered the mixed cured meats plate and got a large board of bresaola, prosciutto, porchetta and a spicy salami calabrese with some arugula and drizzled olive oil. The meats were so fresh -- just sliced off the cutter -- and while it didn't necessarily come close to the cured meats I had in Italy, it was still a world away from those served in some of the average Italian places around this town. This was the first wow.

Then when I bit into the first morsel of the much yelped about pumpkin ravioli with sage and butter, I was hooked.

I'm usually not a big fan of sage but here it worked so well I couldn't just have one. In fact, the sweetness of the pumpkin, strong sage flavor topped with the what's-not-to-like butter were literally singing in my mouth. Washing it down with some Sangiovese made it even better. I was full but couldn't stop eating. Honest to God.

The tagliatelle al ragu was good too. A bit heavy on the sauce for me but still a lot better than many establishments purporting to serve "Spaghetti a la Bolognese," a claim our Italian friends would cringe at.

We were initially disappointed we couldn't find carbonara on the menu, so we made some inquiries and they agreed to make it for us (apparently one other patron had ordered it that evening). We were drinking Syrah and Pinot Noir that evening, and truth be told, this carbonara was just as addictive as the pumpkin ravioli. Ok, not as good as the one my dear friend EB made for me in Bologna, but very good nevertheless. Because it had pancetta, eggs and noodles, I felt like I was devouring a comforting breakfast dish, except I was having it with wine. Again, totally full on my second trip there, but unable to stop myself.

Girasole has single-handedly reversed my aversion for ravioli with its amazing offerings. I tried the mushroom ravioli in a creamy wild mushroom sauce. Ridiculous! I'm usually 1) not a big fan of ravioli as stated, and 2) not crazy about cream sauces because they're too heavy.

Well, this dish defied my expectations once again. Every bite felt like I stuck my head in a bouquet of wild mushrooms. It felt like I was there in the forest, smelling the wonderful aromas of the mushrooms. Did this dish go well with the red wine? Suffice it to say I couldn't stop eating this either.

On another visit, we tried the prosciutto with melon and figs. The menu listed it as one or the other but our greedy selves had to ask if we could get both. Ask and you shall receive.

This was another pleasant surprise. Fresh, just sliced prosciutto, some wrapping uber-sweet cantaloupe slices (like candy) and others adorning a few halves of black figs that had been drizzled with sugar and torched on top to warm and caramelize them a bit. The figs were phenomenal -- fresh and of course went perfectly well with the salty meat.

The only dish that didn't blow us away was the lamb stew that came with plain risotto. While good, I found the stew a tad salty for my taste, like it had been overcooked and its liquid over-reduced.

Some complained about the service but both times we went, we found the service to be good to excellent.

Oh, the olive oil that comes out with the bread (could be fresher) before the meal is interesting. I tasted hints of green tea, of all things, but our server assured us it came from a fine brand from Italy called Genco, as he showed us the large rectangular canister. Some patrons like the olive oil so much they buy it by the canister, he said.

Now onto dessert. We had an orange cake that was moist, very orange-y and delicious. Went great with the coffee.

I can't wait to return to try the braised rabbit that gets raves and other raviolis on the menu. Up to this point, Osteria Mozza had been my favorite Italian restaurant in LA but Girasole is inching up quickly, especially for its value.

Rome, Italy: Microbrews and Killer Carbonara

I've only been to Rome once before, and wasn't a big fan of it. Maybe it was because I hung out around the biggest tourist traps. I was excited about seeing and experiencing a Rome from a local's perspective thanks to our fearless friends who live there.

We were first transported to microbrew-land at bir & fud, a great spot in the Trastevere area serving any kind of microbrew your heart desires. The master beer guy with the crazy curly hair just asked us what kind of beer we liked and wanted and presto, he'd hand us one of the many beers on tap, cut the foam with a knife (I think that was a knife) and then -- the epitome of refreshment itself.


I heard the "fud" or food there is also excellent but we were saving ourselves for our late dinner. The platters that were being delivered to each table looked mouth-watering, from a massive pile of mussels to piping hot and cheesy pizzas.

I wanted a light-tasting beer with some citrus flavors to beat the dead summer heat and what I was handed was exactly what I wanted. Ditto for the next glass, which I said I wanted something heartier but not too heavy.

Then came a full-on dinner at Trattoria dal Cav. Gino, a tiny joint that could be missed if you blink. Tucked away in a small alley near the Parliament building, everything tasted like home-cooking at its best. The frutti di mare pasta, carbonara, amatriciana, etc pasta were all delicious. Perfectly cooked noodles with a light sauce. Everything tasted extremely fresh with intense flavors.

The main dishes were also eclectic, including rabbit, short ribs, lamb and tripe. I can't say I like tripe but all the other dishes were braised and slow-cooked with a lot of care. The meats were soft and blended very well with their respective sauces and juices, some tomato-based and others flavored with herbs like rosemary.

We also got a dish of stir-fried greens that counterbalanced some of the heaviness from the meat dishes perfectly. The greens had a bit of a bite.

Needless to say, I can't think our hosts enough for showing us the real Rome once and for all. Wish we could have stayed longer...

This is definitely a restaurant out of the tourist path that is a must for anyone visiting Rome. Don't miss out. Book a table there today!

Sorrento, Italy: Is Don Alfonso the French Laundry of Italy?

I was surprised to find that one of the best, fanciest restaurants in all of Italy was situated in a small town adjacent to Sorrento, a port city where many people take the boat to go to the islands of Capri or other picturesque waterfront towns. Dining at Don Alfonso was a fantastic experience, both for the meal itself as well as the stellar service. It's what I would imagine dining at French Laundry would be like -- excellent food, super attentive service in a quaint setting.


We tried two of the tasting menus, one more elaborate than the other (guess which I had). What followed was a parade of beautifully constructed, innovative Italian cuisine where each of the courses were in harmony with each other to culminate into a well-balanced and satisfactory meal.

Curiously, one of the most memorable dishes of the eight-course meal I had wasn't even mine. The ricotta cheese that was part of my dinner companion's six-course meal was what stuck in my mind. The antipastwas called "panzarottino," "arancino" flavored with chocolate, green pepper stuffed with tuna and anchovy of Cetara, grilled and marinated zucchini, salami and daily (which I think should be "dairy," hence the cheese) products. Yes, a mouthful to say and to eat.

The cheese was so flavorful that I could only extol the virtues of Italian milk and water. Why else would this humble ricotta cheese taste so darn delicious? Panzarottino is like a calzone and an arancino is like a deep fried rice ball. This one didn't have rice in it, probably an interpretation of the original. I'm not sure about adding chocolate to a savory dish (I'm not a huge fan of black mole either) so it didn't work for me but the combination of the textures definitely wasn't lost on me -- the warm, crunchy ball that was salty with the charred, smoky grilled zucchini and chewy, salty charcuterie, topped off with the creamiest ricotta cheese ever. How I long for this cheese in the US...To no avail.
My tasting menu started with this beauty to the left -- fried pepper with whipped cod fish, salmon eggs and dehydrated green olives with dried cod emulsion with yellow tuna mousse. Ok, I wasn't crazy about the idea of a "whipped cod fish" but it was ok. Again, the varying textures really sang in my mouth. Plus, I always like to pop fish eggs in my mouth even though I find them too salty.

The starter for my dinner companion was stewed octopus on a bed of couscous with vegetables and a foam of Provola cheese (delectable smoked buffalo mozarella) and cinnamon. You can see by the ingredients they used like couscous that unlike some of the most emphatically purist chefs, Don Alfonso is more embracing of non-traditional Italian ingredients. I fell in love with all things smoked cheeses at this last trip. It imparts a type of flavor that's so unique and adds such an interesting dimension to run-of-the-mill cheeses (not that this one would have been ordinary if it weren't smoked).

The second course was duck breast scented with cacao, orange compote, banana puree and red wine reduction. I found the duck a tad gamey despite the infusion of all these sweet and yummy things. It wasn't earth-shatteringly original either. Not my favorite.






The third course was like a matzo ball soup that used ricotta cheese for the balls and fish consomme broth instead of a chicken broth. The broth was actually infused with verbena, lemon zest and nettle, which gave it a clean, refreshing taste that was not at all fishy. I didn't love the textures of the ricotta morsels but their saving grace was that they were made out of ricotta, my newfound love.
My pasta course was a dumpling stuffed with chicken, Genovese ragu, a fondue of Parmesan cheese topped with vegetable chips. Maybe Don Alfonso was a disciple of Ferran Adria (kidding) but he had its share of foams, emulsions and Adria-esque concoctions. It was good but again, textures were what spoke to me. Soft, crunchy and creamy at the same time.


My companion's pasta course was ravioli stuffed with a decadent soft cheese called caciotta, marjoram and tomatoes with a mozzarella sauce. A bit on the heavier side, but creamy and the fresh basil leaves it came with made it more refreshing.

For the main fish course, I had grouper flavored with vanilla and lemon, string bean, horseradish croquette and colatura (salted anchovy sauce) foam. The grouper was perfectly cooked, soft and juicy. I've never met a croquette I didn't like, so that was a no brainer. I also love spicy, so the horseradish croquette was probably my favorite item on the dish.
I've never had vanilla-flavored fish before, so that was a unique treat. The aroma wasn't too strong so it didn't overpower the flavor of the fish. As for the crunchy croquette with an oozingly soft interior...need I say more?

The other tasting menu's main dish was a poached fish or acqua pazza, in a tomato sauce. It was decent but again, nothing to write home about.

My meat course was a guinea fowl stuffed (what's with all this stuffing?) with goose liver, a saffron potato puree, spicy tomato, green anchovy sauce and fried spaghetti. I felt like there was too much going on and the meat was a bit gamey for my taste.


Now onto the fantastic cheese course. Wow. I was already taken by all the wonderful cheeses I had encountered during my trip so far. This was a sampler of the best cheeses this region had to offer, so what's not to like?

The desserts were just as beautiful but I have to say, none blew me away. What did blow me away were the selection of local wines. We had the option of ordering specific ones or just going with sommelier's choice of red, white, sparkling (spumante) or dessert wines.



Every time we asked for one, it was a revelation from my formerly very limited knowledge of Italian wines. I'm no expert now but at least I appreciate the fact that there are so many other wines besides just Chianti or Prosecco.

This restaurant also runs a very fancy bed and breakfast and has a library of cookbooks as well as a world-renowned cellar next door.
Both the manager and Don Alfonso himself stopped by our table to check in on us. Actually, the manager stopped by several times. The meal isn't cheap by any stretch (I didn't like that the menu didn't show the prices) but may be worth going at least once if you can afford it and want a memorable meal while traveling in Southern Italy.