You know you’ve at least walked by Quattro Caffe at South Coast Plaza before. It’s the most centrally located full-service restaurant, and when there’s no food court and you’re hungry, it’s hard to miss.
But then you see the menu, with prices of pizza from $11 to $19 and pasta from $13 to $24, and maybe you keep walking.
I gave it a try to see if it’s worth it.
The meal starts with a bread basket with focaccia and breadsticks and a bean dip. I say, forget the dip and ask for oil and vinegar. The beans’ taste and texture just don’t jibe well with the bread.
My dining partner, blogger Eva Kilgore, chose the Bistecca panini ($17), featuring thinly-sliced filet mignon, brie, spinach and caramelized onions, with a salad on the side. The crispness of the perfectly grilled bread balanced the softness of the onions.
The sandwich was quite ample and an uneaten half kept well for dinner the same day.
I went with the Penne al Salmone ($22), Scottish smoked salmon in a tomato cream sauce garnished with sliced arugula. I wouldn’t call the sauce light as the menu does as there are a richness and slightly spicy kick to it.
Dessert was hard to say no to with samples arrayed in the center of the dining room. Our server brought the dessert etergie (thanks for the new word, Eva!), and we picked the chocolate souffle ($7).
It was served warm with vanilla ice cream and proved to be as decadent and delicious as it sounded.
The service was very professional, courteous and appropriately attentive. And I hate to say this, being the daughter of immigrants, but I had a hard time picking through our server’s accent as she described the specials of the day.
I did appreciate the upside to the prices, which is that there wasn’t a wait to be seated and I didn’t get the sausage-factory feeling of get-in-get-out.
Quattro Caffe serves lunch and dinner and also has an extensive wine and spirits list. View their Web site HERE.
More from the South Coast Plaza blog:
- Five stars for Charlie Palmer from Register
- A thumbs down from LA Times for Charlie Palmer
- Restaurant review: Vie de France
- How to overeat at Morton’s
- NapaStyle now selling wine at South Coast Plaza
- New Macy’s Home eateries coming in December
- Restaurant review: Boudin SF
For more on South Coast Plaza, see list of links on right-hand side of this blog.
