Cafe Firenze
(In the Mission Bell Plaza)
563 W Los Angeles Ave
Moorpark, CA 93021
(805) 532-0048
Kat and I got my Mom a gift card to Cafe Firenze for Christmas since she's a fan of the show Top Chef, and the restaurant is owned by Fabio, who came in 4th place on the most recent season. Fabio instantly became our favorite contestant on the show because he was a smartass and had a lot of personality. He had quite a few quotable lines on the show as he became our favorite. My Mom decided to use the gift card this past weekend and invited me to go with her for dinner. Yippee!
Once you're inside (or near) the restaurant, it thankfully doesn't feel like you're in Moorpark. I'm quite surprised they put someplace this nice in a strip mall near a Big Lots and El Pollo Loco, but that's also kind of cool, too. I've never been to any of the other Top Chefs' restaurants but I imagine most, if not all, of them are from big cities and trendy areas. One thing that annoyed me about the booth we sat at is the pillows on the seat. There were 3 pillows on each side, which we had to move out of the way. It's a nice decoration when you're looking at an empty table but really, they just get in the way when you're trying to sit comfortably.
The interior of the restaurant is really nice, although it's a little on the dark side. They have seating right in front of the open kitchen so you can watch the chefs cook if you want. Fabio was indeed there, so even if I wanted to harass him for a photograph, he was kinda busy throwing down braised rabbit and gnocchi. They have traditional Italian faire on the menu - pastas, pizzas, steaks, salads, etc. My Mom and I each have our favorite dishes, which are nowhere near exciting or adventurous - spaghetti and lasagna. I'm guessing Fabio might get bored cooking those, but both of them were absolutely delicious. I may even dare to say it's the best lasagna I've ever had.
Prices are average - a meal for two will probably run you in the neighborhood of $40, including tax and tip. I've read some bad reviews with regards to their service, but we didn't have any problems. But maybe that's because we were there early at 5PM to avoid the dinner crowd. At any rate, I really liked the food and the atmosphere and want to take Kat there when she comes back home!
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2009
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wine Country Trattoria
Wine Country Trattoria
Disney's California Adventure
(714) 781-3463 for advanced reservations
This restaurant is one of our favorite places to dine in the Disneyland parks. Not only does it allow drinking, it encourages it with a wine tasting bar off to one side! The waiters are as jovial as most Disneyland cast members. And the food at the Trattoria is (in my opinion) much better than grabbing a burger elsewhere, for not that much more in price.
My hubby ordered the meat lasagna and loved it. I've also had the alfredo chicken lasagna (pre-veggie-ism) and adored it too. And of course, with tiramisu on the menu, I had a light bowl of soup to save room for dessert. The poblano corn chowder was spicy, much like tortilla soup. I think this was also served around the park, but for the same price, I got a better atmosphere and yummy breadsticks to dunk in it! The tiramisu was perfect - creamy and rich. We cleaned the plate spotlessly.
Instead of paying $13 per glass of wine, we opted to upgrade a little and for $32 bought a whole bottle. It was a great, bad idea. It was a better deal, but I think we both agreed that we really didn't need that much to drink. (Then again, now I can say I rode the Tower of Terror and had the courage to raise my arms on the big fall!)
One thing to note: I'd suggest calling the Disney Dining line a day before your park visit to make reservations. Although we've never been turned away from the Trattoria as walk-ins, it might be difficult to book the usual 5-8 pm dinner hour.
Disney's California Adventure
(714) 781-3463 for advanced reservations
This restaurant is one of our favorite places to dine in the Disneyland parks. Not only does it allow drinking, it encourages it with a wine tasting bar off to one side! The waiters are as jovial as most Disneyland cast members. And the food at the Trattoria is (in my opinion) much better than grabbing a burger elsewhere, for not that much more in price.
My hubby ordered the meat lasagna and loved it. I've also had the alfredo chicken lasagna (pre-veggie-ism) and adored it too. And of course, with tiramisu on the menu, I had a light bowl of soup to save room for dessert. The poblano corn chowder was spicy, much like tortilla soup. I think this was also served around the park, but for the same price, I got a better atmosphere and yummy breadsticks to dunk in it! The tiramisu was perfect - creamy and rich. We cleaned the plate spotlessly.
Instead of paying $13 per glass of wine, we opted to upgrade a little and for $32 bought a whole bottle. It was a great, bad idea. It was a better deal, but I think we both agreed that we really didn't need that much to drink. (Then again, now I can say I rode the Tower of Terror and had the courage to raise my arms on the big fall!)
One thing to note: I'd suggest calling the Disney Dining line a day before your park visit to make reservations. Although we've never been turned away from the Trattoria as walk-ins, it might be difficult to book the usual 5-8 pm dinner hour.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Caffe Lucio - Santa Cruz
We had a really great dinner in Santa Cruz at this place called Caffe Lucio. It was awesome. Lucio is this wiry little Italian guy (that's him on their logo) who is just bursting with energy and so awesome to everyone who walks in. He greets everyone in Italian, and I automatically responded in Italian. He then seemed to take a liking to us, rambling on in Italian while putting his arm around my shoulder and guiding us to our table.
Details:
381 Soquel Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
tel: (831) 427-0164
Open for dinner
http://www.caffelucio.com/
We sat at the bar and shared Bruschetta di Caprino (bruschetta with goat's cheese and grilled marinated veggies), home made gnocchi with tomato sauce, and a thin crust pizza. It was amazing. If you are ever in Santa Cruz, you MUST go there. Everyone working there just seemed to be having a fantastic time.
The pizza cook was wearing this hilarious shirt that said "Free Chorizo" and had an arrow pointing down, and the couple next to us at the bar commented on it. The woman was all "Has your mother seen that shirt??" And the cook just laughed and motioned Lucio over, pointing to his shirt. It said "Half Man," pointing up, and "Half Horse," pointing down. Later, we saw Lucio's very pregnant wife sporting a shirt over her huge belly that said "Lucio JR" on it. Points for the humor and having fun!
I've read a couple reviews that mentioned having to wait - we didn't have this problem, and we went on a Saturday night when there was a college reunion dinner taking place as well. The reviews also mention it being loud and Lucio yelling at waitstaff - it was a bit loud, but we did not witness any verbal abuse. My take was that he was very typically Italian - vibrant and a little bit abrassive. The prices were on the higher side, but that's sort of to be expected at an Italian place in a town with a high volume of tourists.
Good for:
- Atmosphere
- Romantic dinners
- Group events
- GREAT home made gnocchi and pizza
Addy's Rating: 9/10
Details:
381 Soquel Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
tel: (831) 427-0164
Open for dinner
http://www.caffelucio.com/
We sat at the bar and shared Bruschetta di Caprino (bruschetta with goat's cheese and grilled marinated veggies), home made gnocchi with tomato sauce, and a thin crust pizza. It was amazing. If you are ever in Santa Cruz, you MUST go there. Everyone working there just seemed to be having a fantastic time.
The pizza cook was wearing this hilarious shirt that said "Free Chorizo" and had an arrow pointing down, and the couple next to us at the bar commented on it. The woman was all "Has your mother seen that shirt??" And the cook just laughed and motioned Lucio over, pointing to his shirt. It said "Half Man," pointing up, and "Half Horse," pointing down. Later, we saw Lucio's very pregnant wife sporting a shirt over her huge belly that said "Lucio JR" on it. Points for the humor and having fun!
I've read a couple reviews that mentioned having to wait - we didn't have this problem, and we went on a Saturday night when there was a college reunion dinner taking place as well. The reviews also mention it being loud and Lucio yelling at waitstaff - it was a bit loud, but we did not witness any verbal abuse. My take was that he was very typically Italian - vibrant and a little bit abrassive. The prices were on the higher side, but that's sort of to be expected at an Italian place in a town with a high volume of tourists.
Good for:
- Atmosphere
- Romantic dinners
- Group events
- GREAT home made gnocchi and pizza
Addy's Rating: 9/10
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Acqua Al Due - San Diego
Details:
322 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA
tel: (619) 230-0382
Open for lunch & dinner
general site: http://www.acquaal2.it/
San Diego site: http://www.acquaal2.com/index.php
This place is probably in my top 5 restaurants in the world. There are two Acqua al Due restaurants - one in San Diego's Gaslamp district, and one, the original, in Florence, Italy. The one in Florence is located at 2 Via del Acqua... thus the name Acqua al Due ("two" in Italian).
They have the most amazing menu (yes, menu, not menus, it's the same menu in Italy or San Diego!) and my favorite by far is the pasta sampler. It's a sampler of 5 different pastas, and they are "chef's choice," so you get slightly different dishes each time you go. (No worries, though, the dishes are 90% vegetarian)
It's on the fancier side dress-wise, but it's not formal, and dishes range from $10 - $25.
Get the pasta sampler, the filet mignon marinated in balsalmic, and be sure to follow it up with the panna cotta (sublime) and the tirimisu. Amazing food, amazing staff, and amazing atmosphere = the perfect dining experience.
Addy's Rating: 10/10
De Medici - San Diego Gaslamp District
Details
815 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA. 92101
ph# 619.702.7228
fax# 619.702.7236
Dinner Served Daily from 5:00pm
http://www.demedicisandiego.com
I give it 5 stars for taste and quality - and the best Fettuccine Alfredo in the world - no kidding.
Dishes range $15-$20 each. With appetizers and drinks, easily $100 for 2 people.
This truly authentic, family recipe Italian restaurant has regulars that include real life Godfathers, Director Francis Ford Coppola, us, tourists as well as Italian tourists. The restaurant is elegant hosting prom kids and formal dinners in general. Although you can come in with flip flops and t-shirts but will just feel under dressed. The outside patio seating is the best where you can watch people walk by in the famous Gaslamp district. The waiters and staff are all very friendly and accommodating.
Cool Thing - above the Hostess podium is an autographed picture and the shell of a bullet from the Godfather I movie. The autograph has signatures of Coppola as well as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale and Robert Duvall. I talked to the manager and apparently Coppola eats there regularly and they have his wine on the menu as well. And really, we've seen mobster Italian Godfathers eating there with family in-tow. So cool!
Fettuccine Alfredo - The BEST in the world. It's the only main course I've ordered there ever. Been there 3 years in a row and each time it tastes absolutely divine. I even heard an Italian tourist come in and taste the Alfredo and exclaim "Bueno". Just watch it because the side of shrimp costs an extra $15 - crazy, and leftovers don't taste as good but they're still pretty great.
Oyster Rockefeller - ok. Nothing great.
Prosciutto di Parma e Mozzarella (Thin slices of prosciutto wrapped around fresh buffalo mozzarella) - Amazing. They use real fresh mozzarella and prosciutto from Italy.
Lasagna - awesome. The lasagna is well-balanced (not too much sauce, enough meat), thick and a hearty comfort food.
815 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA. 92101
ph# 619.702.7228
fax# 619.702.7236
Dinner Served Daily from 5:00pm
http://www.demedicisandiego.com
I give it 5 stars for taste and quality - and the best Fettuccine Alfredo in the world - no kidding.
Dishes range $15-$20 each. With appetizers and drinks, easily $100 for 2 people.
This truly authentic, family recipe Italian restaurant has regulars that include real life Godfathers, Director Francis Ford Coppola, us, tourists as well as Italian tourists. The restaurant is elegant hosting prom kids and formal dinners in general. Although you can come in with flip flops and t-shirts but will just feel under dressed. The outside patio seating is the best where you can watch people walk by in the famous Gaslamp district. The waiters and staff are all very friendly and accommodating.
Cool Thing - above the Hostess podium is an autographed picture and the shell of a bullet from the Godfather I movie. The autograph has signatures of Coppola as well as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale and Robert Duvall. I talked to the manager and apparently Coppola eats there regularly and they have his wine on the menu as well. And really, we've seen mobster Italian Godfathers eating there with family in-tow. So cool!
Fettuccine Alfredo - The BEST in the world. It's the only main course I've ordered there ever. Been there 3 years in a row and each time it tastes absolutely divine. I even heard an Italian tourist come in and taste the Alfredo and exclaim "Bueno". Just watch it because the side of shrimp costs an extra $15 - crazy, and leftovers don't taste as good but they're still pretty great.
Oyster Rockefeller - ok. Nothing great.
Prosciutto di Parma e Mozzarella (Thin slices of prosciutto wrapped around fresh buffalo mozzarella) - Amazing. They use real fresh mozzarella and prosciutto from Italy.
Lasagna - awesome. The lasagna is well-balanced (not too much sauce, enough meat), thick and a hearty comfort food.
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