Romeo Cucina going strong at 15

Romeo Cucina is celebrating its 15th year of operation in Laguna Beach. For the restaurant business, 15 years is a long time. They must be doing something right.

Although we have been eating there since it opened, our busy reviewing schedule has kept us away for more than a year.

The original four brothers and two sisters of the Romeo family who started the restaurant are natives of Calabria, the southernmost province of the Italian boot. They brought with them old family recipes and a commitment to authentic Italian food.

They also designed the contemporary interior that is kind of artsy Laguna Beach, while the food is the stuff of a genuine Italian trattoria.

The centerpiece of the room is the extravagantly tiled wood-burning oven where they make their excellent bread and exceptional pizzas.

The oven is fronted by a pleasant dining counter that is balanced by the long bar counter in the rear. Above the bar is a dramatic and fanciful light fixture mimicked by variations over the tables in the rear. The room is painted in shades of Tuscan terra cotta with Italian tile floors and has a nice, warm glow. There is also a small eating patio adjacent to the sidewalk.

A basket of crusty, house-made bread arrives at our table accompanied by a crock of garlicky olivada, a spread made from black Italian olives. In our memory, Romeo was the first restaurant to serve olivada in Laguna, and their version is still the best. If olivada is not to your taste, there is balsamic vinegar and good olive oil on the table as well.

You can make a meal out of one of their thin-crusted pizzas, but it also makes a toothsome first course for two or more. We enjoyed a spring vegetable and feta cheese creation with two kinds of squash, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and tomatoes, all very fresh tasting and cooked al dente.

The wood-burning oven gave the thin crust its crispy texture and slightly smoky flavor. As in Italy, there was just enough cheese and tomato sauce to accent the crunchy vegetables.

If you prefer pizza as an entrée, start with something from the large selection of antipasti.

Some of our favorites over the years include: Carciofo Ripieno, an artichoke stuffed with a zesty mixture of chopped artichoke hearts, tomatoes and garlicky breadcrumbs that is large enough to share; the Frittura Mista ? a generous portion of lightly breaded and deep-fried seafood served with a spicy tomato dipping sauce; and Polenta con Funghi, triangles of baked polenta topped with porcini mushrooms.

Ortolina is marinated and grilled endive, radicchio, mushrooms, fennel, peppers and asparagus. It was served here before the trend for grilled vegetables became a must on every other menu in town.

The heart of Italian cuisine in America has always been pasta. The way pasta is served in American restaurants, the portions are usually big enough to make a meal and often contain enough protein to be an entrée. In addition, we find that the ingredients in the sauces are much more varied and tempting than those accompanying the grilled meats that are the “secondi”.

Very often, diners never get beyond the pasta course. Our favorite at Romeo is the spaghetti di farro. Farro is an ancient, distant cousin to wheat, making it a great choice for those with wheat allergies. We were delighted to find this healthy and delicious alternative. It tastes like regular pasta but has a very nice texture with a bit more tooth.

Their version has a simple olive oil and garlic sauce and a lovely array of fresh spring vegetables. How nice to find a dish that’s just scrumptious and also healthy.

On the other hand, if spaghetti and meatballs is your thing, the tagliatelle alle carni rustiche has an excellent ragu of fresh tomato sauce with ground filet and little tiny meatballs.

The special pasta of the evening was black and white ravioli, stuffed with lobster and served in tomato cream sauce with bits of shrimp and scallops. This was not one of their better creations. The filling was fishy and the pasta was not al dente. The sauce was too rich and thick and masked the flavors of the seafood. Unfortunately, we didn’t find out until later that this ravioli was not house-made.

A better choice, perhaps, would have been the ravioli all’ostello, a caponata-filled ravioli in fresh tomato sauce that they do make on site.

If you were a fan of the movie “Big Night,” you must remember the timballino. They make a version here that we would love to try some time when we are very hungry. It’s for two and consists of a light, crispy pastry shell filled with short tube pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, porcini mushrooms, zucchini and mozzarella in tomato-cream sauce, baked in the clay oven.

Although we were quite full from our pizza and pasta, for you dear reader, we ordered secondi.

We have always enjoyed the gamberoni ? four jumbo prawns, marinated in lemon, olive oil, garlic and white wine and then grilled. Sometimes they can be overcooked but when they are good they are sweet, juicy and delectable.

The pesce bianco Livornese is grilled halibut with a topping of black olives, capers and a little finely chopped tomato. The fish was fresh and moist and the delicate yet zesty sauce was a perfect pairing for the subtly flavored halibut.

Both entrées were accompanied by a side of capellini al checca (fresh chopped tomatoes, basil and garlic). Usually, the side of pasta that comes with an entrée is a throwaway. But this one, with its al dente angel hair and light, fresh sauce, was simply irresistible.

For dessert, there is a house-made crème brulée and tiramisu. Tiramisu is tricky. It can be delicious but more often tastes watery and has a soggy texture. Sadly, this was one of those.

We preferred the frutti de bosco, a fruit tart on a short pastry bottom, layered with chantilly cream and sponge cake, then topped with berries and fresh red currants.

Although still slightly frozen, it had a nice balance between creamy, sweet and tart. There are also two gelati, a chocolate ganache cheesecake and a selva nera, an Italian cousin to Black Forest cake. Your after-dinner treat is that the bill will be equally easy to swallow.

Going to Romeo Cucina is like having dinner with an old friend. We wish them a happy birthday and many more years of cooking their family recipes for our town.