Tag Archives: italian

Dinner at Cucina Alessa

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Four years ago, I first wrote about Cucina Alessa (please excuse the rough photography).  I loved all the food and yet somehow I never went back.  When my mom was brainstorming ideas for her birthday dinner, we agreed that it was high time we returned to Cucina Alessa and I’m so glad we did.  So consider this dinner at Cuinca Alessa part deux.

When I dined at Cucina Alessa the first time, I wasn’t following a gluten-free diet so my entrée choices revolved around pizza and pasta.  Since I am more on a gluten-free/paleo diet now my food choices have definitely changed and I’m happy to report that Cucina Alessa has plenty of gluten-free options if you want them.

For our appetizer course we decided to go with the calamari (the Englishman’s personal fave) and the fresh burrata.

Cucina Alessa Calamari

Burrata is one of my favorite cheeses in life, and this one did not disappoint.  It was all the creamy perfection you would expect and more.  The calamari was also a big hit among the table and it was devoured in minutes.

Cucina Alessa Burrata

For my main course, I ordered the grilled salmon with broccoli and a side of roasted rosemary potatoes.  Since I am currently obsessed with all the salmon, I was excited to try this dish.

Cucina Alessa SalmonThe salmon was grilled perfectly and came with a lemon garlic sauce that wasn’t too heavy or overpowering with the dish.  If you are looking for a non-pasta option at Cucina Alessa, definitely go for this (and get some potatoes on the side).

The Englishman went with the gnocchi which he greatly enjoyed and would recommend to any gnocchi lovers out there.

Cucina Alessa Gnocchi

My mom got a shrimp pasta in a lobster sauce – I only tasted the shrimp but the sauce on it was fantastic.

Cucina Alessa Lobster SauceMy dad went with the chicken Parmesan, which is one of the best classic dishes on the menu. Chicken, pasta, cheese; what’s not to love?

Cucina Alessa Chicken ParmAnd because we were celebrating a birthday, some gelato was required at the end of the evening.

cucina alessa birthday gelato

I’m thinking it won’t be four years before I return to Cucina Alessa again.

Vitaly at the Camp

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One of the best things about living in Costa Mesa is the wide variety of restaurants to eat at.  I had been wanting to check out Vitaly at the Camp for a long , and the Englishman and I finally managed to pop in there for dinner.

Vitaly at the CampVitaly is a cute Italian cafe tucked away in the back of the Camp and serves Italian flatbread sandwiches (Piadinas), homemade pasta and other Italian specialties.  In my opinion no Italian meal is complete without a glass of wine, so I ordered a glass of pinot grigio with my meal.

Vitaly at the camp WineThe Englishman and I ordered a caprese salad to share and I loved how it came out with just tomatoes and mozzarella, with the balsamic vinegar on the side, so the salad wasn’t overdressed.

Vitaly at the camp caprese saladIt’s still a little early for tomato season, but the ones we had in the caprese salad were nice and crisp and were perfect with the creamy mozzarella.  I can’t wait until summer when I can have all the tomatoes all the time.

The Englishman got the Montetiffi Cassone which is essentially a Piadina sandwich that’s served with warm ingredients rather than cold.

Vitaly PiadinaHis cassone had housemade sausage, cabbage, balsamic reduction and parmesan.  We both agreed it was quite delicious and could’ve maybe used a tiny bit more cheese.

I went with something a little different and got the Straccetti, which was Filet Mignon strips over roasted potatoes, tomatoes and arugula.

Vitaly at the camp steak and potatoesThis dish was quite simple but so, so good.  The filet was seasoned perfectly, and any time there are oven roasted potatoes on the menu, chances are I’ll order it.  I think this will definitely become my regular meal at Vitaly.

Of course, no trip to the cafe was complete without some gelato.  Vitaly has a wide range of homemade gelato that comes in a waffle cone, cup, or even a gelato “sandwich.”

Vitaly Gelato FlavorsI sampled a variety of flavors but the one that won my heart was the mascarpone which came with a delightful cherry on top.

Vitaly at the camp gelatoI can already see that Vitaly’s gelato is going to be a summer staple for me.  Most ice cream shops in town use artificial ingredients like corn syrup, but everything at Vitaly is made fresh which I love.

If you live in the OC area and haven’t been to Vitaly at the Camp yet, I definitely recommend checking the cafe out.  In addition to lunch and dinner they also serve breakfast, which I plan to check out next!

Homemade Antipasto Salad

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Ever since I had that fantastic antipasto salad at Trattoria Grappolo, I’ve been dying to recreate it at home.  Finally the stars aligned and I was able to make a homemade antipasto salad that was almost as good as Grappolo’s version.

Homemade Antipasto Salad SpreadIn my opinion homemade antipasto salad needs to have three key ingredients: good selection of meats, quality cheese, and a wide array of vegetables.  Thankfully Orange County has a wide variety of cheese shops so the Englishman and I were able to procure some creamy goat cheese, a delightful camembert, some English cheddar and provolone.  For this homemade antipasto we decided to skip the traditional mozzarella, but next time I think I may add it in.

homemade antipasto salad cheeseOn the meat front we gathered salami, ham, prosciutto and turkey.  I have yet to find a deli I love in OC so we got our meat from Sprouts, but if any locals have suggestions please share in the comments!

Homemade Antipasto Salad VegetablesLast but not least was the veggies.  I roasted some eggplant, broccoli, red peppers and zucchini and then had some olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes on the side.

Homemade Antipasto Salad SpreadAdd some rose, some homemade bread and olive oil and you have yourself a nice homemade antipasto salad!  I loved how easy it was to throw this together – this is definitely a great meal when you are short on time and want a way to sneak some extra vegetables in.

What’s your favorite antipasto salad ingredient?

Trattoria Grappolo

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When I first started planning our wedding I knew I wanted really, really good food that would leave people with a smile on their face and full bellies.  Santa Ynez has many wonderful restaurants and caterers to choose from, but as soon as I tasted the food from Trattoria Grappolo last fall I knew I wanted them to cater our wedding.

Trattoria Grappolo is an Italian restaurant that uses fresh, local ingredients from farmers in the area and also offers a wine list that includes many wines from wineries in the Santa Ynez area.  One of my favorite wines that they offer is the Grenache Rose from Foley Wines.

Trattoria Grappolo Grenache RoseWhen we were in Santa Ynez a couple of weeks ago finalizing wedding details, we knew we had to pop into Trattoria Grappolo for dinner.  The Englishman and my dad had yet to try the food, and I felt the need to taste it again for “quality control purposes.”

After a day filled with wine and cake tasting, we made our way over to Trattoria Grappolo and immediately dug into their delicious bread and olive oil while we eagerly looked over the menu.

Trattoria Grappolo Bread and OilFor our appetizer courses, we decided to split the Caprese Salad and the Antipasti Salad.

Trattoria Grappolo CapreseMy mom and I had the caprese the last time we were at Trattoria Grappolo and it was just as good as we remembered.  Slices of mozzarella nestled between tomatoes with a light olive oil drizzle and fresh basil.  Simple, yet perfect.

Trattoria Grappolo Antipasto SaladThe Antipasti Salad was out of this world.  I’ve had a lot of antipasti salad in my time, but this one exceeded all expectations.  We were presented with a beautiful dish consisting of fresh grilled calamari, shrimp, roasted vegetables, prosciutto and mozzarella.  Next time I dine at Trattoria Grappolo I just might order this as an entrée.

For our mains, the Englishman and I decided to split the Pollo al Forno, which is chicken roasted with shiitake mushrooms and truffle oil.

Trattoria Grappolo Roast ChickenAnytime there’s truffle oil on the menu I’m bound to order that dish and this one did not disappoint.  The truffle flavor was nicely balanced without being too overpowering and the root vegetables on the side were a perfect complement.

My dad decided to order the Fagioli con Salsicce, which was Italian sausage over a bed of white cannelinni beans.

Trattoria Grappolo SausageThe sausage had a nice little spicy kick to it and paired perfectly with the cannelinni beans.  If pasta isn’t your thing, I definitely recommend ordering a dish like this.

My mom kept it simple with Pizza Carciofi which was a thin crust pizza topped with cheese, artichokes and capers.

Trattoria Grappolo PizzaI’m a firm believer that sometimes simple is better when it comes to pizza, and this one was a perfect example.  The crust was nice and crispy, the artichokes perfectly roasted and the capers added a nice touch of salt.

Of course, no meal is complete without dessert, so we ordered Tiramisu and Spumoni.

Trattoria Grappolo SpumoniFor those of you not familiar, spumoni is an Italian ice cream made with three different flavors – cherry, pistachio and chocolate and is delicious.  I’ve mentioned my feelings on tiramisu before, and while it’s not my favorite dessert, this version was very good.

Having dinner at Trattoria Grappolo just reinforced my excitement for having them cater our wedding in May.  And I will say, some of the dishes in this post will be featured on our wedding menu, but we also have a lot of other delicious items coming from Trattoria Grappolo that I can’t wait to share with you after our big day!

But now I leave you with this important question – what is your favorite Italian dessert?