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Delight in authentic flavors, a glass of wine and downtown views at Alessa by Chef Pirozzi.
By Sharon Stello
Ideal for alfresco fall dining with its patio and extended deck on The Promenade on Forest, Alessa by Chef Pirozzi offers a charming setting to enjoy lunch or dinner with a view of downtown and live music on the plaza Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Perhaps more importantly, the authentic Italian menu tempts with the chef’s time-honored family recipes. Chef and owner Alessandro Pirozzi learned to cook with his grandmother while growing up in Naples, Italy. The youngest of four children (and the only boy), he would often hide out in his grandmother’s kitchen when the girls were teasing him. This became his sanctuary, where Pirozzi fell in love with cooking. Here, he learned secret family recipes and traditional techniques, which put him on the path to later train to become a chef.
Pirozzi owns two restaurants in Laguna Beach: Alessa by Chef Pirozzi, which he opened in 2010 on Forest Avenue, and Salerno (formerly called Polina’s Salerno), which he bought eight years ago, on Beach Street.
While the menus at these two bistros are similar, there are some differences. For example, Alessa has a pizza oven, allowing for creations like the margherita with pomodoro sauce, mozzarella, organic basil and extra-virgin olive oil infused with Italian herbs, and the Calabria with homemade mild Italian sausage, Gouda cheese and spicy salami and arrabbiata sauce. And, for mushroom lovers, the Funghi Misti is a must-try item: Made without tomato sauce, it layers a mix of wild, organic mushrooms, fontina cheese and house-made infused truffle oil. The dough for each pizza’s crust is prepared with a blend of flours imported from Italy.
Alessa also offers some meats that aren’t commonly found on local menus, like salami made from elk, bison or wild boar as well as duck prosciutto for antipasti options and entrees like wild fish of the day, duck breast and elk chops available upon request. Try the delectable smoked duck breast with wine and blueberry sauce. Pirozzi smokes the duck himself and the meat is cut into succulent medallions drizzled with the sauce and topped with whole blueberries.
Of course, you won’t want to dine here without trying the pasta. Consider the bucatini arugula e burrata. The bucatini pasta is tossed with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, Italian herbs, baby tomatoes and arugula, then topped with fresh burrata cheese and black sea salt. While the sauce contains no dairy, the creamy texture makes it a dreamy dish. Or consider the Maine lobster and fennel-filled ravioli in a pink sauce or the limoncello-infused taglierini pasta mixed with tiger shrimp and shallots in a lemon and white wine sauce.
Other homemade options include Spaghetti Verde, which infuses the pasta with arugula; slow-cooked lamb over rosemary-infused pappardelle; Nonna Ida’s meat ravioli; and baked ziti with Mamma’s Meatballs. There are also five kinds of gnocchi based on Nonna Titina’s recipe for these potato dumplings, as well as three versions of risotto. Staple Italian dishes like chicken Parmigiana, veal Marsala or cioppino don’t disappoint either.
To drink, pair your meal with a glass of wine from the impressive list of vino from Italy and California’s premier regions. Then sip the night away or end the meal on a sweet note, with desserts like panna cotta, spumone, refreshing gelato or ricotta cheesecake with fresh berries, mango and raspberry puree while getting lost in conversation with your friends or loved one.
Alessa by Chef Pirozzi
234 Forest Ave.
949-497-8222; alessalaguna.com
