Onotria Wine Country Cuisine

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

This is a new restaurant for me. Margie sent me an email from them so 4 of us decided to try it out. Onotria is in Costa Mesa so for me to drive from Torrance It was over an hour. Fortunately going home was much shorter It also is a block and half from my sisters business so that cost me extra money for a new pair of earrings.

Owners name is Massimo and a very personable person he is. Knows his food and his wine. The place has an extensive wine cellar.

Tonight's wines were from the House of Michele Chiarlo in Piedmont, Italy. Alberto Chiarlo, the winemaker was in attendance. This started out as a 9 wine, 5 course dinner and ended up with ten wines. $60 was the price which I felt was an absolute bargain. Food was very good and the wines were good also. The four of us were seated at the end of the long table so we ended up with extra pours of the last wine which was the most expensive at $138 per bottle.

First course was a Ahi Tuna Carpaggio with arugula a & lemon EVOO & ginger. Tuna was very good quality.

Next was Octopus with Canellini bean soup in a tomato broth. Most tender octopus I have ever eaten.

Third course was "Lasagna" layers of semolina pasta oven baked with spinach, seasonal greens, robiola,,fontina cheese in a truffled creamy tomato sauce. Beautiful flavor.

Main dish was slow roasted lamb in a chiodini mushroom, nebbiolo wine sauce. Good flavor BUT - a slice of my lamb should have never gotten out of the kitchen. It was grisly and you could not cut it Also to me the lamb was over cooked. I do not like meat overcooked. It becomes dry and looses flavor.

Dessert was a bittersweet chocolate gelato mocha with espresso poured over it. Good but I would have preferred just plain gelato.

Wines poured to tonight - and a clean glass for every wine.

2010 Gavi
2011 Arneis
2010 Barbera d;Asti Le Orme
2009 Barbera d'Asti La Court
2008 Barolo Tortoniano
2009 Bararesco Reyna
2007 Barolo Cerequio
2007 Barola Cannubi
2011 Nivole Moscato

And the surprise wine of the evening was a 2006 Barolo Cerequio Riserva, 50th Anniversay. Needless to say this was an excellent wine. But at $138 a bottle I passed. I will wait until Terry opens his and hope that I am there when he does.

We liked this place so much we are gooing back next week for a Burgundy wine dinner.