Oh No - Onotria

Wednesday, May 21, 2014
After vowing I would not return to Onotria in Costa Mesa I showed up there with friends.  Julie and her man Jim flew in from England for Julie's daughters graduation from Chapman University.

Picked them up at their hotel and decided that Onotria was close and would work out for the evening. I brought no wine for dinner but did bring a bottle of 2008 Stolpman Rubens Block Syrah for a git for them. Julie likes Stolpman wines and they are not available in England.

Restaurant was busy not not crowded. Msssimo the owner/chef was in the garden picking what ever was needed for the next dish.  I started out with the Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms with a Marinara sauce. Very good and I am assumed very freshly picked blossoms. Jim ordered a Margarita pizza which was not on the dinner menu but they did accommodate him. Julie had a pasta dish which I neglected to write down what is was but looked like some type of ravioli with a white sauce. And I ordered the Osso Bucco. Dish was good, but I have had better and then I have had worse. So it fell in between. sauce was excellent but the pasta was mediocre. Not fresh made.

I had a great dessert - "apple pie" - a tart shell with freshly baked apples, caramel and cream sauce. Good flavor . Enjoyed that and the Zucchini Blossoms more than the main dish.

Since Jim drinks beer ( he's English), Julie and I split a bottle of 2008  Michele Chiarlo Barberesco. I had  this at a wine dinner here at Onotria last year and also just tasted it again last month at another wine tasting. Very nice wine and priced reasonable for Onotria.

The wines are over priced. Most restaurants use a formula of 2.5 to 3.0 times retail for their price. I saw a bottle of Segeshio Zinfandel priced over 3.0  times retail. Restaurants do not pay retail . They get a discounted price of 30% to 40% off retail so it is a real irritant to me to have jacked up prices. I know they have to cover overhead, glasses, washing of same and holding a wine in storage until it sells. But it seems to me that if the prices were a little more reasonable they would sell more wine and have a faster turn over of their stock. My own personal take on it.

It was great to see Julie again. She moved back to England several years ago so it has only been Facebook contact since then.