Eatery - Il Farro (CA)
111 21st Pl, Newport Beach, CA 92663
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Dressy Casual | Cuisine - Italian
www.ilfarro.com
I love it when you walk into an Italian restaurant and the staff there is all speaking Italian. I wish I remembered more from what I had learned, so I could be a better conversationalist with the staff. Oh well. It was date night for Duc and me since we hadn't gone out in a while (or so it felt like), and he had a Groupon he needed to use. The restaurant's right by the Newport Beach pier which is pretty awesome. We were welcomed right when we came in and seated promptly. It wasn't too busy on a weeknight.
Just as Yelpers had mentioned, the complimentary bread was delicioso! Well the herb & garlic infused olive oil was what made it extraordinary. We were quite hungry and munched on this with such gusto that the waiter brought us another plate right away. Props!
Since we had missed out on getting calamari when we went to San Francisco, we decided it was necessary to get some here. We got a good portion to start off with, and it was quite good. I only wish they had been a tad crunchier and the marinara sauce a tad chunkier. Nevertheless, good fresh starter.
After a long time pondering, I ended up choosing their crab & lobster ravioli which was topped with scallops and shrimp. My oh my does their fresh pasta taste wonderful! The texture in my mouth of the ravioli pasta was awesome - I actually ate a bit of the "skin" before even delving into the filling. The filling itself was plentiful and delicious. I enjoyed the sauce because it didn't overpower the taste of the lobster & crab. Loved it and it wasn't even too pricey!
Duc got the "fili con gamberoni alla diavola" - "farro spaghetti pasta with tiger shrimps, white wine, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes, basil." So the place is called Il Farro because of the farro wheat they use (similar to spelt); we wanted to have at least one of us try it out so he opted for it. Great texture to it as it has got a bit more yield than semolina. Everything else was perfetto.
The best part was that we didn't feel overly stuffed with the food we had had, so we opted for their hazelnut gelato which they served cutely to use in a single large glass cup to share. Buttery biscotti topped it off. Smooth gelato with very much hazelnut punch, it was the best way to end the meal. Il Farro, I'm coming back for you and your delicious eats!
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