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Homemade Italian Cooking at Cucina Alessa

I’m a big fan of Italian food.  Authentic, homemade, feels like you are in Italy Italian Food.  While some places in Orange County clearly miss the mark, Cucina Alessa strikes a bulls-eye.

Cucina Alessa has three locations across Orange County – one in Huntington Beach on Main Street, one in Laguna Beach, and the original Cucina Alessa in Newport Beach.  The only main difference between the locations is that the Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach stops have a bigger bar and Laguna offers a mozzarella bar.  While I haven’t been to those locations, it’s hard to imagine that it has the same charm as the original in Newport Beach, located on PCH.

The family and I decided to go to the original Cucina Alessa for my dad’s birthday, and even at 6:30pm, the place was packed.  We made our way to the tiny bar and decided on some wine and a mushroom pizza to hold us over.  As soon as I took one bite of the mushroom pizza I knew we were in for a treat.  It was loaded with flavor and the mushrooms were nice and tender.

Soon after our love affair with the pizza, we were seated at the table and began to intently study the menu.  Everyone decided to order something different so we could try each other’s plates.My brother went with the Spinach risotto – which was nice and creamy and a beautiful shade of green.

I went with the spaghetti with vegetables and tomato sauce.  It was good, but not my favorite dish of the night.

The Englishman decided on a tortellini dish with hints of sausage and bacon in a cream sauce.  It was also very good and very decadent.

But the highlight of the evening was my mom’s dish – the Butternut Squash Ravioli with brown butter and sage.  Words cannot describe.  I spent most of the meal trying to steal bites off of her plate.  It was really THAT good.

Of course being that this was a birthday celebration – no real Italian meal would be complete without some Tiramisu….Tiramisu in a martini glass for the birthday boy who was not looking at the camera.

And a Panna Cotta (my personal preference)….

Overall, I was quite impressed with Cucina Alessa.  The price was right, the food was delicious, and I loved the homey atmosphere.  You could tell the chefs were proud of the food they were serving and the taste certainly reflected it.  I’m definitely planning on coming back to Cucina Alessa and can’t wait to try their new location in downtown Laguna Beach.  And you can be sure I’ll be ordering a large order of Butternut Squash Ravioli the next time.

Cucina Alessa

6700 W. Coast Hwy
Newport Beach, CA 92663

Back to Basics at True Food Kitchen

I’ve had my eye on True Food Kitchen since it opened last year, and with a beautiful spring day on the horizon and nothing else on the agenda, I knew it was time for True Food Kitchen and I to formally meet.

True Food Kitchen is an all-green, organic restaurant that uses simple, fresh ingredients in all of their dishes.  Most items on the menu have anywhere from 3-7 ingredients TOTAL and complement each other quite nicely.  The menu is inspired by Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid (which you can see here), and proves once and for all that eating healthy does not mean sacrificing flavor.

One of the things I loved most about True Food Kitchen was the bright and airy space.  There’s an outdoor patio that is partially covered/uncovered, a large bar area, a private dining room, and plenty of seating within the restaurant.  Since it was a beautiful day out, I opted to sit on the patio.

True Food Kitchen Patio - LOVED the green chairs

Now let’s talk about the good stuff.  The Food.  As a food allergy sufferer, these types of restaurants with simple basic ingredients are my mecca.  I know exactly what I’m ingesting and don’t have to worry about any allergy after-effects.  I started my meal off with a drink called “The Natural,”  made with agave, ginger, and soda water.

The Natural aka my newest obsession

I normally don’t rave much about drinks (well not nonalcoholic ones anyway), but this drink was superb.  Light, fizzy, refreshing, with that added ginger zing.  It’s the perfect drink on a warm day and I couldn’t get enough.  I even tried to re-create the drink later that weekend at home but it was more of a Ginger Drink FAIL than anything.  I think I need to work on my ginger to soda water ratio…

I wasn’t starving when I arrived at True Food Kitchen, so I kept it simple with the hummus and fresh pita and the turkey burger.  The hummus had some herbs in it which gave it nice flavor, and the pita was warm and delicious (and whole wheat!)

Who doesn't love delicious pita and hummus?

The turkey burger came with provolone cheese, avocado, tomato and a site of sweet potato hash and kale salad.  While the burger was perfectly cooked it seemed to be missing something.  Maybe some herbs or a little spice?  I was still drooling over the hummus when the burger arrived so perhaps I was already slightly biased.  I do think I’d like to try a few other things on the menu before venturing back to the turkey burger, but it is a good choice for someone who doesn’t want a lot of spice with their food.

The turkey burger is blocking the amazingness that is the kale salad

The Kale salad however was pretty epic, and the simplest ingredients ever!  Just kale, lemon, breadcrumbs.  I don’t know what they did to this salad but I gobbled it down.  The sweet potato hash was also pretty decent, but then again I’ll eat anything  involving sweet potatoes.

Overall I was very impressed with True Food Kitchen.  I’m definitely planning on coming back and trying more of the menu (and of course getting another “Natural” drink).  It’s the perfect spot for when you are looking for something that is delicious and nutritious, and equally satisfying.  Oh and it’s just minutes away from the beach – can’t beat that.

True Food Kitchen

451 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
P: 949.644.2400