Pasta, meatball dinner to boost Solano charities
By Susan Hiland A pasta and meatball dinner will be served next month to help out the local community. The Unico National Solano Chapter, which is one of the largest Italian-American service organizations in the U.S., will provide a dinner Oct. 17 to help raise money for charities in Solano County, according to an announcement for the...
L'America guarda con sempre maggiore interesse ai prodotti tipici della gastronomia regionale
di Riccardo Chioni La seconda giornata dell'edizione invernale del Fancy Food Show che chiude oggi al Moscone Center di San Francisco ha fatto registrare un nuovo record di visitatori a questo mega mercato che mette in vetrina decine di migliaia di specialità alimentari e bevande provenenti da 35 paesi. Il padiglione italiano, con le sue...
Italian Meets Californian
by Marybeth Bizjak "Farm to fork" is being replaced by a new buzz phrase: proof of concept. It means that a restaurant is successful and can be replicated in other places. In other words, it's scalable, another business-school buzzword familiar to anyone who watches TV's "Shark Tank." It's no longer enough to dream of opening a si...
New Ambrogio15 Brings Modern Italian to Pacific Beach
The brand-new Ambrogio15 in Pacific Beach is hoping to change locals' perspectives on Italian food with its modern take on the genre. Opened on August 1 by Giacomo Pizzigoni, Andrea Burrone and Luca Salvi — three entrepreneurs with MBAs from San Diego State University — the restaurant is promising to go beyond what's often found in Italian establis...
Italian grapes evolve into California wines
Despite its climatic similarities to Italy, California is producing a new and different set of wines with its Italian varietals, a panel of American and European experts said at a seminar in Calistoga this month. "We have a Mediterranean climate but we have very different microclimates," said Brooks Painter, winemaker at Castello di Amorosa, which...
Traditional Italian in Lompoc Valley
Growing up in Marsala, Italy, Caterina Agate never imagined that her hometown's name would be the same as her restaurant's signature dish. But for the last 33 years, generous portions of chicken marsala as well as lasagna and risotto have drawn diners from throughout Santa Barbara County to La Botte, the 65-year-old owner's Lompoc-based re...
Papalucci’s Italian restaurant in Long Beach a trip down memory lane
By Merrill Shindler Despite the many gastropubs along Second Street in Belmont Shore that keep the street lively and then some, there's a parallel universe of old-school restaurants, dominated by a fair number of red sauce Italian joints that serve the sort of (mostly) Southern Italian cooking so many of us long for, after many a meal of f...
Pistola Opens With a Bang In Los Angeles
by Andrea Torng Critically acclaimed chef, Vic Casanova, unveils his highly anticipated second restaurant, Pistola, tomorrow, September 24th, on LA's West 3rd Street. Teaming up with seasoned FOH veteran, Seth Glassman, the duo's modern Italian Steakhouse is a nostalgic tribute to Italian comfort food, balancing refreshed culinary cues fro...
Filomena's Cafe & Wine Bar - comfort food by popular demand
by Samantha Hammer Filomena's Cafe & Wine Bar – comfort food by popular demand. An abundance of fashionable chefs are opening new restaurants throughout Southern Orange County. If you are looking for an unforgettable homemade Italian dining experience, indulge yourself at Filomena's Cafe & Wine Bar in the Laguna Design Center. ...
Interview: Debbie Caminiti of Bel Bacio Espresso
by Aaron Carnes Espresso isn't just a caffeinated base for concoctions of flavored syrups and whipped cream. Nor is it the most caffeinated type of coffee. However, in its simpler and more traditional forms, espresso is the star at Bel Bacio Italian Cafe, the latest addition to San Jose's growing Little Italy neighborhood. Bel Bacio serves...
Catania: coastal Italian in La Jolla
by Michele Parente And you thought San Diego had a lot of beaches: Italy has more than 4,700 miles of gorgeous coastline. So when I heard that the accomplished team behind La Jolla's Whisknladle were opening a restaurant named Catania, promising authentic Italian coastal cuisine, my mind went immediately to pastas sun-kissed with...
Italian delegation touts a taste of Tuscany in Sacramento visit
by Mark Glover Sacramento boasts of its farm-to-fork reputation, but an Italian delegation visiting the city on Monday hopes that residents also will be receptive to a taste of Tuscany. About a dozen members of a trade and business delegation from the city of Lucca in Italy's famed Tuscany region showed off their wares Monday morning at Adamo...