STEPHEN SANTACROCE -- Dining Review

Growing up as an Italian American on the East Coast, we never had to

search far for a good Italian restaurant. These were not the red-checked

table-clothed, spaghetti and meatball shops Middle America considered

Italian; no, we were lucky enough to enjoy the real thing. The veal was

always tender, the pasta usually homemade, often by “nonna” the owner’s

mother, who would spend all day in the back kitchen with a rolling pin

creating mouthwatering ravioli and other delicacies.

Here in Orange County, more and more Italian eateries are appearing

that feature authentic cuisine, and one of the more recent entries is

Stefano, which now occupies the former Amici spot in Costa Mesa.

Owner and chef Stefano Colaiacomo has brought a long culinary history

with him to his new venture, first as a traveling chef for the Ferrari

Racing Team, and more recently as the executive chef at the highly

regarded L’Opera in Long Beach. Stefano il Ristorante is his first

attempt at running his own restaurant, and it may be a while before he

gets the mix just right.

The most obvious thing about the restaurant is its size. Stefano’s is

a cavernous space, with the entire front portion of the restaurant

occupied by a large banquet room. Since the banquet area is not used

often, the restaurant has an empty feel when one first walks in, without

the bustling excitement found in more intimate places. Rounding a corner

to the main dining room, one is greeted by a more comfortable setting.

Sage carpets and cream walls provide a warm, casual atmosphere, and

authentic Italian artworks are tastefully displayed under the art deco

ceilings. A large outdoor patio is the perfect spot for alfresco dining

in the summer months, and the restaurant’s proximity to the Orange County

Performing Arts Center makes it a great pre-show stop.

The menu shows off Stefano’s knowledge of regional Italian fare, but

the execution occasionally leaves something to be desired. Starters, or

Antipasti, include a traditional fried calamari ($8.95) served with a

side of light marinara sauce. The squid rings were crisp and tender, and

I enjoyed the addition of some fried shrimp in the mix. The tangy

marinara tasted fresh and was perfect for dipping.

Being a polenta fan, I couldn’t resist the Polenta Fritta ($9.25).

While the dish didn’t knock me out of my chair, it didn’t disappoint me,

either. Thick squares of cooked cornmeal are fried on a hot griddle and

then topped with melted fontina cheese and a sauce of wild mushrooms with

just a touch of cream. This is the type of dish that’s my idea of Italian

comfort food.

The atmosphere and decor give the sense of traditional Italy, and I

was surprised to find several menu items featuring hints of Asian

ingredients. Nowhere does the menu or decor suggest that Stefano is

offering a fusion cuisine, and several of these dishes seem oddly out of

place. For instance, Vongole Japonese ($8.25) described as “stewing in a

white wine miso broth, finished with a touch of wasabi.” The dish we were

served showed no signs of stewing anything -- the clams were sitting on a

flat plate atop several ladles of the broth but did not appear to have

been cooked in it and they had already begun to dry out by the time they

reached our table. The broth certainly tasted of miso and hints of

wasabi, the sharp Japanese horseradish, but the flavorings clashed with

the rest of our selections and seemed out of place on Stefano’s menu.

Back on track is Stefano’s selection of pasta dishes, which are broken

down by the regions in Italy that inspired them. In Italian cooking

simple is often better, as is the case with the Agnolotti Porcini

($13.50). Homemade pasta circles are filled with a savory mixture of

earthy porcini mushrooms and finished with some melted butter flavored

with fresh sage and a sprinkle of parmigiana cheese. A heavier sauce

would destroy the flavor of the delicate mushrooms; here the sage is the

perfect enhancer to the dish.

Another dish, the Suffle di Spaghetti ($10.50), sounded promising but

left us disappointed. Billed as a spaghetti souffle sauteed with

prosciutto, egg and wild mushrooms in a tomato sauce, baked with a

mozzarella topping -- the dish was surprisingly bland, offering little of

the complex flavorings promised.

The entree list features a healthy selection of grilled meats, one of

the best of which is the veal chop ($28.50). A 16-ounce chop is stuffed

with spinach and mozzarella cheese and then roasted over an open fire.

The perfectly cooked chop is served simply with a side of grilled polenta

and some vegetables. The meat was tender and the spinach and oozing

mozzarella added flavor and texture to this simple classic.

Less satisfying was a pork chop ($14.50) supposedly baked in a clay

pot with an Asian apple brandy sauce. The clay pot cooking method led me

to expect a moist, juicy chop, infused with a flavorful sauce. What I

received instead was a dry cut that seemed as if it had been pan-fried

rather than baked. The sauce tasted like a fairly routine apple and

brandy mix, and if there were any Asian influences, I didn’t taste them.

Stefano features an adequate wine list offering a reasonably priced

selection of Italian and American wines. I was pleased to see some of the

less popular Italian wines offered, such as a Gattinara from the Piedmont

region for $49.

Desserts include a silky smooth Panna Cotta ($6.50), the creamy

Italian version of flan, and a refreshing Tiramisu ($6.50).

Stefano il Ristorante brings to Costa Mesa the talents of a superb

chef who needs to refine his concept and iron out some of the wrinkles

present with any new restaurant. The elegant and comfortable atmosphere,

both inside and out, as well as some of the better dishes, offer diners

an enjoyable experience with the promise of hopefully better things to

come.

FYI

What: Stefano il Ristorante

Where: 655 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa

Call: (714) 850-9399

When: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday (lunch and dinner),

10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday (lunch and dinner), and closed

Sunday

How Much: Moderately Expensive