Oliver's Osteria

When I first wrote about Oliver’s Osteria last year, I wrote of a talented young chef, Ferdinando Bernardi, who had just arrived from Italy to work for restaurateur Erik De Marchi, who himself had emigrated from Italy to work as chef in Los Angeles

. Erik De Marchi is himself a chef, and a damn good one. When he came to California all those years ago, it was to work in the kitchen at Angelini Osteria, one of the best Italian restaurants in California.  Oliver’s Osteria is De Marchi’s first

A catchy Italian pop song by Lucio Dalla cuts through the stillness at lunchtime at Oliver’s Osteria in Laguna Beach. The dining room is otherwise quiet, leaving me alone to contemplate the elegance of my cacio e pepe. It is the most stunning plate

sincere. My only real complaint at this point is that the bar doesn’t pour more Italian wines by the glass. Almost all the reds that are served by the glass are American. And that feels oddly out of step. Oliver’s Osteria Rating: 3 stars Where: 853 Laguna

… even South Philadelphia are currently having their moments. Each wildly different from the others, these are the five best Italian restaurants right now. 1. Oliver’s Osteria Cacio e pepe wasn’t really a thing in Orange County until Oliver’s Osteria in

as the food, the Italian hospitality here is always welcoming and sincere. 853 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949-715-0261, oliversosteria.com Rigatoni cacio e pepe at Oliver’s Osteria in Laguna Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County

Osteria in Laguna Beach. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) Oliver’s Osteria, Laguna Beach COVID Comfort Rating: B  (July 2020) Temperature checks at door: Yes Masks enforced for customers: Yes Masks worn by staff: Yes Gloves worn by

sanitizer available: Yes, abundant Outside dining: Yes Inside dining: No Dining at the bar: No Tables sanitized: Yes Chairs sanitized: Yes Seating properly distanced: Yes Touchless menus: No Spaciously distanced makeshift patio in the parking lot at Oliver’s

Real, San Clemente, 949-429-1199, brickrestaurantgroup.com Carne pizza with housemade sausage, salame and pork belly at Brick in San Clemente (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) Cacio e pepe from Oliver’s Osteria Rome’s famous cacio

menu is available, including strozzapreti with sausage and black truffles. Takeout: Yes. Delivery: Uber Eats, Door Dash, Grubhub and Postmates. 853 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949-715-0261, oliversosteria.com Cacio e pepe at Oliver’s Osteria in

Photo from OC Weekly archives A new Italian restaurant called Oliver’s Osteria has opened in the space that was formerly Ivory Restaurant & Lounge in Laguna Beach. The menu features pastas to risottos to meat and seafood dishes. 853 Laguna Canyon Rd

in Huntington Beach, the cacio e pepe at Oliver’s Osteria in Laguna Beach… Here’s where, and what, to eat right now. Restaurants 75-61 Restaurants 60-46 Restaurants 45-31 Restaurants 30-16 Restaurants 15-1 (Map created by Nikie Johnson, Southern

Cody Storts in the kitchen at Wreckless in Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG) 4. Oliver’s Osteria. Quaint, casual and charming, this is easily the best Italian restaurant to open in Orange County

Oliver’s Osteria in Laguna Beach. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 3. Chaak Kitchen. This long-awaited next act from Ed and Gabbi Patrick of Gabbi’s in Orange is one of the most original Mexican kitchens to open in years. The wood

Another utterly charming Italian restaurant has opened, this one on Costa Mesa’s west side. And like Oliver’s Osteria in Laguna Beach, what makes Trenta feel so genuine is the larger-than-life presence of a jovial Sicilian named Marco who one minute

Bristol St., Newport Beach, 949-752-5854, juliettenb.com The burger at Juliette in Newport Beach. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 39. Oliver’s Osteria (New for 2019) Quaint, casual and charming, few Italian restaurants capture the

, oliversosteria.com Keeping it simple with cacio e pepe at Oliver’s Osteria in Laguna Beach. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 38. Playa Mesa (New for 2019) This is one of the best Mexican restaurants to open in years, with a breezy indoor