RESTAURANT REVIEW:

In another attempt to familiarize myself with my new neighborhood, I ventured east for the first time and went looking for a neighborhood Italian restaurant.

I didn’t think I would have a problem finding a place, and I was right. Crivello’s was the closest to my new place so I drifted over there for dinner one evening.

The restaurant has a small indoor dining room, tucked in the corner of a mostly vacant strip mall. There are about eight tables indoors, but the outdoor patio can accommodate many more people. It is covered and heated, though some diners may be distracted by the noise of the traffic on Brookhurst Street.

I actually enjoyed dining outside. The patio was open and airy and more appealing to me. When I ate in the dining room it seemed a bit cramped and gave me a slight feeling of claustrophobia.

The meal began with French bread and a tomato paste and basil-dip sauce. It is a nice way to begin a meal, though I do wish the bread had come out warmer.

The appetizers are limited and mostly typical for an Italian restaurant. Bruschetta, fried calamari, steamed clams and mussels were there, but I did like the shrimp Crivello. It is fresh tiger shrimp tossed in a spicy garlic and white wine sauce while quickly sautéed. The shrimp is obviously large and the sauce is incredibly pungent. I love garlic and it mixes well with the white wine.

We moved on to dinner. My guest ordered the penne with three cheeses, but asked if they could substitute rigatoni. No problem, the waitress said, and I was happy to see the request was accepted so eagerly.

We were both disappointed to see penne come out with her order. Apparently the chef didn’t get the change. My guest was thinking about sending it back, but kept it, though slightly disheartened that she wasn’t getting rigatoni.

The dish was good. The three cheeses, Gorgonzola, Romano and mozzarella were blended nicely into a cream sauce that tasted like it had a bit of white wine in it.

My meat lasagna was also quite good. The ground beef and sausage was generous and the sauce was a very mellow marinara.

The sauces chef and owner Sebastian Crivello provides are creative and interchangeable.

He features arrabiata (a spicy marinara sauce), marsala, alfredo, pesto, and several other clear and cream sauces.

When I tasted my guest’s three-cheese sauce, the Gorgonzola jumped out at me, and I noticed Crivello had a gnocchi with a Gorgonzola sauce.

I returned about a week later for lunch to sample this dish and was completely glad I did.

The gnocchi was delicious. It is a difficult dish to make correctly and the texture of the lump noodle was firm but not chewy.

I purposely ate the gnocchi one by one to see if I could find a bad one, but I didn’t. Each was so tender.

Besides, eating it that way allowed me to savor the Gorgonzola cream sauce.

The bits of the cheese were folded into the sauce and though it was readily evident in the sauce, it was not completely overpowering. It definitely was one of the best gnocchi dishes I have ever had.

It went well with the wine I ordered. I asked for a glass of the St. Supery, Sauvignon Blanc.

The Napa winery puts out some very serviceable wines and this one was part of a pretty extensive wine list the restaurant offered.

Though this is a neighborhood Italian restaurant, it doesn’t succumb to small-town thinking.

The entrees are varied and in some cases inventive and there are more than enough reasons to return.

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.