Valentine’s Day dinner in the village

DINING OUT

Josef Bishof built a replica of his hometown just off the San Diego

Freeway in Huntington Beach. It’s called Old World Village and it’s

the location of Paolo’s Ristorante, which serves some of the

freshest, most authentic Italian food in town.

Chef and owner Paolo Pestarino is following in his father’s foot

steps -- both have been chefs on cruise lines that traveled the

world. For the love of a lady, however, Paolo came ashore at Newport

Beach, where he opened his first restaurant. He has now moved to Old

World, where an open door invites you into the casual cafe.

Informative servers Adam “Catfish” Mepeek and Liz help you decide

on the daily specials. This day, it is a wonderful char-marked filet

of Atlantic salmon (lunch $10.95, dinner $17.95), which is thick and

tender, its moist, pale, pink flesh sauteed with fresh mushrooms in a

champagne sauce as smooth as satin.

For me, it is gamberi (shrimp) scampi style (lunch $11.50, dinner

$ 16.95) served on a warm colorful Italian platter. It has six big,

beautiful tail-on Mexican shrimp -- which are more tender and

tasteful than tiger shrimp, Paolo says -- brushed with garlic oil and

sauteed in a white wine sauce flavored gently with herbs. It is

served with penne (short tube pasta) in a light tomato marinara and

steamed fresh spinach -- not creamed, just plain as it would be

served in an Italian home.

If you’re choosing pasta, an excellent one is sliced sausage with

penne (lunch $7.95, dinner $ 13.95). The short tube pasta is sauteed

with Italian sausage in a light tomato sauce. The sliced sausage is

grainy, with bits of meat and fat in a light skin. It is served at

dinner with penne, the tubes coated inside and out with the sauce.

How could we resist the homemade tiramisu ($4.95), a beautiful

square of lady fingers with a touch of espresso caffe, layered with

whipped cream and dusted with cocoa? Talented Paolo makes this

dessert, also. The cafe is home to him, and he’s in and out of the

kitchen, chatting with diners, rather like some small European cafes.

What better setting for Valentine’s Day than Paolo’s, which will

be serving a special ($36.95 per person) that begins with bisque, to

be followed by veal scaloppine porcini or lobster stuffed ravioli

topped with Mexican shrimp or Chilean sea-bass balsamico. This, Paolo

says, is the favorite of the many diners who have followed him from

his previous Newport Beach restaurant.

Dessert will be the traditional tiramisu, which translates to

“take me up.” If you dine at Paolo’s, you could well think it was

heaven.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

hbindy@latimes.com.