Dining Review -- Jennifer K Mahal

When I think of mall food, I think of tepid Chinese buffets,

over-the-counter burgers and the sugared cream-cheesy wonder known as the

cinnamon roll. The cuisine at Quattro Cafe in South Coast Plaza is as far

from that as the earth is from Mars.

Between the charm of its quick and professional wait staff and the

quality of its mostly Italian menu, the Quattro may have ruined me for

the florescent lights of the food court.

The former Armani Cafe is one of four South Coast Plaza eateries run

by restaurateur Antonio Cagnolo, who also ownsAntonello Ristorante.

Located next to Emporio Armani on the first floor, it’s a wonderful place

to sit and watch the fashion plates walk by.

The framed black and white photographs of Italian scenes, which bring

to mind the work of filmmaker Vittorio de Sica, are easy to see with the

restaurant’s daytime lighting. But at night, the wall decor fades as the

cafe succumbs to the romance of candlelight. If you’re involved with a

shopaholic, this is the place to take her for that break in between

helping to find that perfect present for your parents.

There is a fine line in restaurant service between being attentive and

being intrusive. The staff at the Quattro is one of the best I have ever

been waited on by. They saw to details such as refilling iced tea and

whisking away empty dishes, while being discreet enough to not interrupt

conversations with an “Everything OK here?” every few minutes. They

earned every penny of their tip and more.

The Quattro’s menu includes a nice variety of pastas, salads, pizzas

and main dishes such as veal and fish. There are daily specials, which

the wait staff is more than happy to let you know about.

My friend and I started with a plate of calamari fritti ($10), squid

fried in what has to be the lightest batter I’ve ever tasted. The dish

comes with a lemon, thoughtfully covered with cheesecloth so it won’t

leave seeds, and a side of marinara. The crisp, airy texture of the

batter went well with the slightly chewy squid. However, the marinara

could have used a little more seasoning.

The risotto giorno (risotto of the day) was a creamy, light dish with

chicken, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes ($15). The plump pieces of

succulent white meat were enticingly peppered throughout the dish.

Offsetting the startling white of the meal and giving it some tang were

the red tomatoes. As risotto goes, it was one of the lightest my friend

had ever tasted, with a hint of chicken stock underneath.

The prosciutto and arugula pizza ($14) may be sparing of crust (which

is thin and delicious) and sauce (enough to be barely wet), but not of

its three main ingredients -- mozzarella, prosciutto and arugula. For

those who like the thinly sliced meat, this pizza is the ticket. It

tastes even better reheated a day later in the microwave, which is what

you’ll need to do if you order this by yourself.

The dessert tray is a study in confectionary beauty. Having said that,

order the chocolate souffle with vanilla bean ice cream ($7). It’s the

least beautiful of the offerings, but oh so good.

If you ever feel like you want to splurge with the $40 you saved by

finding Manolo Blahnik shoes on sale, the Quattro Cafe is the place to

stop.

-- Jennifer K Mahal is the features editor of the Daily Pilot. She can

be reached at jennifer.mahal@latimes.com. Kathy Mader, whose dining

reviews appear every other week, is on vacation.

FYI

* What: Quattro Cafe

* Where: Next to Emporio Armani in South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol

St., Costa Mesa

* When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday

* Cost: Medium to slightly expensive

* Call: (714) 754-0300