Olivetto Ristorante
860 W. Washington St. (Mission Hills)
619-220-8222
Dinner prices: Salads and appetizers, $5.95 to $10.95; pasta and entrees, $12.95 to $24.95
By Frank Sabatini Jr. | Restaurant Review
With barely a whisper, the restaurant formerly known as Olivetto Café & Wine Bar changed hands last year and modified its name to Olivetto Ristorante. The food remains Italian, but most of the recipes originate from a family matriarch living in Bologna, Italy.
Regarding an appetizer that exposes us to the simple yet exquisite pairing of Gorgonzola and celery on crostini, new owner Angelo Fiore said, “My mom told me that if I put it on the menu, I can’t go wrong.” No doubt, the crisp snap of diced celery turns the heavyweight cheese into something unusually refreshing.
The input from overseas didn’t stop there. Fiore obliges by using bright San Marzano-style tomatoes for the marinara sauce while omitting fennel-spiced sausage from meaty Bolognese that’s layered into lasagna. The inclusion of Italian sausage is an American custom, although in Fiore’s homeland the combination of modestly salted ground beef and top-quality pork is good enough.
“Sausage kills all the flavors,” he said while showing off some of the staples he imports from Italy such as authenticated Grana Padano grating cheese, smooth-roasted Essse Caffe coffee and a few desserts shipped frozen from the leading Italian wholesaler, Bindi. In addition, the focaccia bread and sheet pasta are made in-house.
Fiore, who travels back to Italy often, said that his menu isn’t a reinvention of Italian cuisine but rather a means to showcase the purity of dishes he grew up with in his mother’s kitchen.
Not surprising, the menu also starts off with baby eggplant filled with ricotta and spinach; bruschetta with imported balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil; and classic antipasto featuring prosciutto, salami and mortadella complimented by lightly brined artichoke hearts. In addition, there are several salads ranging from a basic “mista” with lemon-herb vinaigrette to the heartier Del Campo incorporating eggs, olives and mushrooms.
While plowing through the lasagna Bolognese, my companion trained his fork on spaghetti allo scoglio, a mélange of fresh clams, shrimp and mussels over pasta. Bravo for the ever-so-subtle liquid of white wine with a little garlic dressing the dish. Fiore and his mother know darn well that nothing kills the flavor of shellfish more effectively than those pasty cream sauces used commonly in American-style Italian restaurants and the touristy kitchens of Rome.
We never made it beyond the menu’s pasta section and into the “secondi piatti” category, but nor did we leave as much as a crumb on the plates we ordered. The protein entrees include things like veal saltimbocca, arugula-topped New York strip steak, chicken Marsala and a tempting veal chop that’s simply breaded and pan-fried, which I trust would measure up to the memorable fried veal I’ve eaten in northern Italy.
At the meal’s end, I broke my hiatus for tiramisu since it’s one of the few desserts made in-house and a confection that my companion never passes up. The liqueur-soaked slab was juicy and springy, with manageable measures of creamy mascarpone cheese. Paired with Port or the coffee that Fiore imports, you can’t go wrong.
Olivetto’s wine list offers a full range of global labels that escape the shelves of most commercial outlets, particularly the Italian productions from Abruzzo, Puglia and Tuscany. The bottles are stacked in handsome wall units at the end of a small bar that overlooks the airy dining room. Though the interior has hardly changed from its previous incarnation, the food carries the traditional flavors that you’d find simmering in any Bolognese household.
