Searching for authentic Italian food

SpaghettiSerious Eats

I'll admit it. I am picky about Italian food. I want authentic Italian or Sicilian food when I'm in the mood, but California, while offering a diverse selection of Italian foods, doesn't come close to the original.

When I moved here in 2006, I was told by new friends the best Italian places to enjoy authentic Italian food. They had no problem naming places and even knew most of the menu items available.

What they didn't realize was that many of the places had become Californiaized. That's correct; there is California Italian, just like there is midwest Italian and southern Italian. No matter where you go in the United States, each state has its version of Italian, and in between those tastes, you have to search for the authentic version.

I grew up in Sicily. My grandparents taught me to cook at a very young age. I learned about the different pasts and how to make many of them. I knew by the age of six how to bake Sicilian bread. By the age of eight, I was helping out at my grandparent's tiny cantina in Catania on weekends.

When I would be back with my parents, I would cook with my Mom and show her things that my grandmother hadn't shown her or never took the time to learn.

I'll admit something here that I finally told my Mom years after my grandmother had passed away that my grandmother taught me the secret ingredient to her chicken soup that no one knew. Mom was upset that day, I can tell you.

She got over it, and we laughed about the fact that up until that day, I was the only one who knew except for my grandfather and grandmother, of course.

GnocchiKendal-Jackson

I'm proud to say I was my grandmother's favorite of all the grandkids, but she loved all of us equally, but I was there the most. Most of that due to surgeries I was having for polio. Which was another reason that I was favorited over the others.

I'm not trying to back myself on the back though, I mean it. I was there a lot, and they, along with Mom, dealt with my polio issue. Cooking took my mind off of the pain, so I cooked a lot!

This background is why I am a picky eater when it comes to Italian or Sicilian food. I grew up in family restaurants that were either Italian, seafood, or steak houses. I learned from the ground floor what makes a restaurant successful. The Food!

We all know food is what makes us go to a restaurant or stay away. YOu could have the best service and sometimes that excellent service can't cover for the food. I've been there.

Patti and I have enjoyed eating at some fantastic Italian restaurants since I moved here, but none of them, in my eyes, are truly authentic Italian. I'm sorry to say this, but I'm honest now.

There are some excellent ones in Fresno and Clovis, and then there are some that are almost like a fast food place.

Italian Fast Food

Let me get this out of the way. The Olive Garden is my idea of fake Italian food. They try hard to make it authentic, or as authentic as they feel, but let's be honest, it's not close.

The one thing I enjoy at Live Garden is the breadsticks and salad. That's the one thing on the menu that I count on to taste good consistently. It's not that we eat there often. Maybe we've been to the Fresno location once or twice if that.

I call the Olive Garden as I see it a fake Italian restaurant.

My apologies go out to the Olive Garden and diners who enjoy their food.

Bella Pasta

Balla Pasta would have to be my all-time favorite Italian restaurant in Fresno. Even though Fabian, the owner, has told me that even his food is California Italian, he'll alter some menu items if you want authentic Italian flavor. Let me tell you he knows Italian.

Bella PastaTrip Advisor

I found out about Bella Pasta from Sam at Sam's Deli.

I was introduced to Sam and his deli by some friends after my first heart attack. Maybe it wasn't the best food to eat right after a heart attack, but it was about making me feel at home, and that it did.

Sam made meatballs as my grandparents taught me. They weren't exactly like theirs but close enough to enjoy after heart surgery.

I went to see him at the deli one day and mentioned I wanted to find a good Italian restaurant to take Patti to; he told me about Bella Pasta.

We went, and from that point on, we were hooked on Fabian's food.

The service at Bella Pasta was excellent. We were treated like old friends, and Fabian introduced us to his wife and his entire crew as if we were long-lost relatives, in typical Italian style.

The pasta dishes were cooked to perfection. When I say perfection, I'm talking pasta cooked al dente. That's the only way I enjoy pasta. Overcooked is mush and undercooked is too crunchy. Al dente is the way to go.

The steaks serve at Bella Pasta were ribeyes and of excellent quality and taste. Each time we went and we had the ribeye, it was cooked perfectly.

Californian Italian

Pumpkin RavioliTrip Advisor

Californian Italian is a style. It truly is a unique style of cooking and preparation. Most of the food items depend on local and seasonal foods. There's nothing wrong with that, and for some, it's all the rave, but when it comes to authentic Italian as I know, it doesn't fit as least for me.

The only one time that I was disappointed in a menu item was when he had ravioli stuffed with pumpkin with a pumpkin sauce. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I thought of my grandmother, who would be rolling over on her grace if I ever suggested something like that.

I asked Fabian about it, and that's when he explained about Californian Italian cooking and what he had to do to be successful.

That definition made more and more sense to me over the years as we tried different Italian restaurants around Fresno and Clovis.

Luna

I've been to Luna in Clovis twice. Once I had the pizza, and the second time I tried their homemade Italian sausage.

PastaTrip Advisor

I met the mother, the original owner, with her husband, who was deceased when I met her at a friend's home when I first moved here. She told me they were from New York, and their style of cooking at Luna's was authentic New York-style Italian. I know New York style, considering I lived there for about 15 years off and on.

After hearing that, I decided to give it a try. This was before I had learned about Bella Pasta, by the way.

The pizza I had wasn't bad. It wasn't New York style as I expected, but New York-style pizza is not easy to copy. I don't think I have had a New York pizza since I left New York, except for the Me & Ed's Cony Island in River Park. It's the closest I have tried since moving here.

Back to Luna

I enjoyed the pizza, but I wouldn't call it New York style or even advertise it that way. Just call it a pizza and be done with it. The crust was crispy as I like it and still had some chewiness, making it perfect in my book.

The toppings I had were pepperoni, which is hard to good up, and cheese. When I ordered the pizza, I learned something else about Italian food in California, especially when it comes to ordering pizza.

California Pizza Ordering

Back east, when you order pizza with toppings, you have to be explicit. If you want cheese, you need to request that. Pepperoni, order it. Sauce order it. Otherwise, you may get something you don't want.

When I ordered the pizza at Luna that night, I ordered it with cheese and pepperoni, to which the server asked if I wanted extra cheese?

Luna PizzaTomato

I didn't understand and asked him why, and he said, "because you asked for cheese which we already have on it." I never knew that.

I did learn a lot that night about ordering pizza in California. All pizza shos add cheese automatically. Duh!

The next time at Luna's, I ordered the pasta with the homemade sausage. The pasta was overcooked that night, but I was told by friends who go there quite often the pasta is usually served al dente. Oh well, bad chef night, I guess.

The sausage was excellent and reminded me of the homemade sausage my grandfather would make. Tasty and just the right amount of heat to make it enjoyable with dinner.

I haven't been back in a while and would love to know if their food stands up with others. Let us know in the comments so we can go back and check it out.

There are many more Italian restaurants to review, too many to review here today, so stay tuned for more reviews coming soon.

Till next time,

Buin Apetito

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