Amarone Cucina Italiana

Authentic Italian cuisine lands on Main Street Pleasanton.

AMARONE OWNER Matteo Pasotto can rightly call his restaurant authentic Italian. When was the last time you had lasagna made with besciamella (béchamel) sauce? How about osso buco over saffron risotto? Profiteroles mounded in a sticky chocolate mountain? Thin-crust pizza with just a touch of tomato sauce and a thin, nutty browned layer of mozzarella?

Despite its Italian authenticity, the restaurant represents a new sort of Italian American. It combines old-world recipes with a menu that nods to organic foods, vegetarians, and even vegans—whom Pasotto had never even heard of before he came to this country in 2007.

As with many cultural mixes, a few concepts get lost in translation—the vegans and PETA members in your crowd might not sit still as you devour Amarone’s stunningly delicious veal shank entrée. But, like the man in Brindisi, Italy, who approached my friend to tell her that his brother was a psychologist and that he would like to kiss her, this interesting addition to Main Street in Pleasanton is not without its quirky charm.

The big dining room at Amarone feels a little bare, particularly in the light of day, but the loss of the country knickknacks that used to adorn the space when it was the Silver Palate is a welcome relief. On a recent evening, soft lighting warmed the marigold yellow walls and terra-cotta tile floor, and glasses of full-bodied reds from the Marchè and Veneto also cranked up the heat. House-made soup, in this case bean with a vegetable stock base (attention, vegans!), gave a deeply warming and flavorful preview of what was to come. As more customers were served, and the ultrafriendly Pasotto ran around from table to table checking on them, the atmosphere became downright festive.

Pasotto, whose parents and grandparents were in the restaurant business in Italy, and his Florentine chef Gianni Pucci are evoking memories of time spent in Italy. The pizza would have wowed a Neapolitan. A special- order side of spaghetti marinara came to the table a shining example of simple, tangy tomato al dente perfection. The osso buco had the rich earthiness and comfort food loveliness of a Sunday afternoon meal in the countryside outside of Milan.

On one visit, mixed salad greens in a simple side order were exquisite: crisp, best quality, varied in flavor from nutty to bitter, and dressed with a vinaigrette containing a fruity olive oil. Unfortunately, the greens on our next visit had hung around too long and hadn’t been picked through thoroughly, so the Gorgonzola and walnut salad flopped. We worried that Pasotto had tried to save a few bucks because business is tough these days. A New York steak, though not the juiciest, was cooked medium-rare as requested and seasoned to perfection. A salmon special enveloped the light pink fish—Pasotto said it was wild, from Canada—in brilliantly fresh spinach and a golden-browned phyllo crust.

After so much beautiful made-from-scratch savory food, dessert proved that some chefs can also excel at house-made sweets. A panna cotta with an orange honey sauce and fresh orange sections brought a lunchtime meal to a tart, sweet, light, refreshing, and heavenly close. For no reason other than his excitement over wines from his native Verona, Pasotto offered gratis a glass of a plummy red dessert wine called Recioto della Valpolicella, which, like Amarone, this restaurant’s namesake wine, is made from dried grapes.

Similarly, as we waited for dessert after the evening meal of our second visit, Pasotto gave each of us a free glass of Vin Santo, the traditional dessert wine of Tuscany. It was nutty and somewhat heady, but with or without it, dessert stood out. The crème brûlée, with its smooth creaminess and broad layer of torched, caramelized sugar, was a reminder of why this ubiquitous dessert sometimes deserves to be placed on the menu. The labor-of-love profiteroles, their tender puff pastry filled with custardy pastry crème, would have tempted even the staunchest vegan. If Amarone lures in a few vegans—the restaurant does have a menu section devoted to them—that ought to be interesting. Old-world Italian meets New Age American. They’ll definitely steer clear
of the osso buco, as well as the panna cotta. Which is fine. More for those of us who are sick with nostalgia for real Italian food.

at a glance

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL: Treasured Italian dishes provide a virtual trip to Europe.
THE SPACE: Coziest at night, the restaurant is plain but attractive.
WHEN TO GO: Go in the evening, when you can relax over many courses.
WHAT TO ORDER: Pizza, osso buco, house-made gnocchi, dessert.
BONUS: The wines pair beautifully with the food and are an interesting mix of Italian varietals that you may not have heard of before, from regions like Veneto and the Marche.