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Dining: Osteria Fasulo in Davis captures an elegant Italian experience
Share Published: Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011
- 12:00 am | Page 1I The
lasagna Bolognese that comes out of executive chef Atilio Carranza's kitchen is a little piece of performance art. It is culinary magic, and something of an illusion. After our server at Osteria Fasulo in Davis set it down before us one recent evening, we breathed
in deeply, taking in the aromas and anticipating the experience. We were delighted, but also a tinge reluctant.
It looked delicious. But this lasagna also seemed
so robust, so rich and, with a half-dozen layers of pasta and sauce and cheese, so inevitably heavy. A white béchamel
sauce, thickened with shavings of Parmesan, seasoned with nutmeg and spooned onto the plate, added to our sense that this
would be a decadent dish – perhaps an overwhelming one. Then I dug in. The subtle flavors fanned out in my mouth, and everything I thought I knew slipped
away. It wasn't the least bit heavy. The pasta was so thin and delicate that, bite after bite, the dish simply floated, lingered
and then melted into nothingness. The simplicity here, like the best of Italian cooking, also is an illusion. The sauce alone, made with ground beef, veal and pork, simmers a minimum of three hours to arrive at that kind of texture and flavor. The handmade spinach pasta
is rolled out so thin you could see through it. It takes two days to make this lasagna but a matter of minutes to size it up, taste it and make
it disappear. I wish
I could have it to do again. I would be more deliberate. I wouldn't let it all slip away so easily – and so soon.
At Osteria Fasulo, the service is friendly and
not the least bit stuffy, and the room is as cozy and casual as any osteria you'll find in the old country.
We encountered the very best of Osteria Fasulo
on our second and third visits. The first? I wish we could have called upon some magic either to save that evening or whisk us away. It was a long,
long night of poor timing from course to course, too much waiting and at least three significant missteps.
This was a wine dinner and the concept was excellent:
Bledsoe pork and Boeger wines, two area businesses that have developed a well-deserved following. The price was $50 for five
courses with wine pairings. It was to start at 6 p.m. We arrived at 5:55 and we received a warm welcome. Moments after we were seated, our server
brought us melon wrapped in prosciutto and a glass of complimentary prosecco. We nibbled and sipped, and sipped some more.
We ate our bread. We waited, watched, and did we mention we waited? We looked at our watches.
It was the renowned French food writer Jean Brillat-Savarin
who wrote the following in 1825: "To wait too long for a dilatory guest, shows disrespect for those who are punctual."
Those words resonated as 6 p.m. became 6:30. Our server apologized – twice – and told us at 6:45 that a late guest finally had arrived and the dinner
would begin. The
food was OK in parts, bland in others and, in the case of the porchetta, so improperly cooked – the skin was not crisped
but rendered bricklike and inedible – that we were dismayed. The pork ragout was timidly seasoned and nearly tasteless.
The dessert that night, a "chocolate box" cakelike offering, was dry and hard. The wines, as much as we liked them,
couldn't salvage the evening. Beaten down and taken aback, we wondered how we would assess this much- admired restaurant. We kept an open mind.
Perhaps, I thought, the tiny kitchen had overextended itself. Maybe the regular menu would work better.
We returned within days and it was a completely
different restaurant. Our server had the perfect touch. She knew the food. She believed in the restaurant. She was fun and
enthusiastic, everything we could want in a server. She brought us a couple of extra tastes of wine. She chatted. The food
came out at just the right moments. I had an impressive fish special – line-caught California swordfish baked in the form of a roulade –
meaning it was pounded flat, filled with radicchio and spinach, rolled up, coated in ground pistachios, fried to get a crisp
crust and then finished in the oven. As soon as I tasted it, and as soon as we ate our gnocchi in a truffle ragout butter
sauce, I knew my hunch was right: The chef had a master's grip on the daily menu. The polenta di lasagna was wonderfully done, and was a playful and delicious
starter. Even the tiny amuse bouche – pear wrapped in prosciutto on a fried pasta cracker – was a delight. The
crepes for dessert also worked well – filled with lemon and berry cream and topped with a splash of Amaretto.
By the end of our third visit, in which we encountered
the magic that is the lasagna Bolognese, the turnaround was complete, our first impression all but wiped away.
During the third visit, we enjoyed another nicely
presented dish with a signature touch – grilled venison chops served alongside sautéed leeks and spaghetti squash.
The sauce was delicious: a red wine demi-glacé with blueberries and Nutella, the hazelnut spread usually reserved for
toast and other treats. It worked, creating a subtle smoky sweetness that balanced the mild gaminess of the venison, cooked
rare. The meat was exceptionally tender and the overall dish a pleasant success, one of many.
The food is expensive, but that's relative. Everything
is made from scratch. The fish is fresh. When there is no wild salmon on the market, there is no wild salmon on the menu.
Dinner for two can cost $100 or more, if you
eat in courses and try different areas of the menu. For something subtle and luxurious to begin, try the carpaccio alla Leonardo,
which is tissue-thin beef topped with equally thin lobster tail, and served with lemon and olive oil. For a seasonal treat,
get there while the kitchen is still doing the butternut squash ravioli, which has sweet and savory elements we appreciated.
Some of the roasted squash actually is mixed into the handmade pasta used in this dish. The seven layers of the lasagna we
loved is $20. We'll forget the price long before we forget how good it was. Osteria Fasulo is owned by Leonardo Fasulo, who is often at the restaurant.
His paintings adorn the walls, as do many family photos. His son Matteo is one of the waiters. Those two, as well as the other
employees, treat guests like family. It's very real, very warm and, like the food at the best of times, perfectly Italian.
Osteria Fasulo 2657 Portage
Bay East, Davis (530)
758-1324 www.osteriafasulo.com Hours: Lunch: 11:30
a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; dinner: 5:30-9 p.m. (last seating) Monday to Saturday. Reservations recommended.
Full bar? Beer and wine only.
Takeout? Not recommended.
Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Overall
3 stars (good) Want
to feel like you just dropped by a cozy family-run osteria in Italy? This is it. From the warm service to the crowd-pleasing
Italian cuisine, this is often a sure bet for a fine meal. Our disappointing $50-per-person wine dinner, however, left us
wondering if this was the same restaurant. Food 3 stars (good) Several dishes on the regular menu are first-rate, including lasagna, gnocchi
in butter sauce, venison chops, and various fresh-fish specials. The missteps at the prix-fixe wine dinner – overly
crisp skin on the pork, underseasoned ragout and a dried-out dessert – brought this rating down half a star. The wine
list features Italian and Californian labels, with many excellent choices at various price points. Servers will often offer
a sample for the undecided. Service 3 1/2 stars (very good) The style is casual but very attentive. At the best of times, it feels like
you're being waited on by family. One server, Patricia, was outstanding. She elevated a very pleasant meal to a great one.
Ambience
3 1/2 stars (excellent) Osteria
can serve as an example to other restaurants that struggle to give their dining rooms personality. The place has soul. The
framed family photos on the wall are real. The paintings are by the owner. There are no generic Euro advertising prints or
any of the clichéd décor we see at other restaurants. Value 3 stars(good)
The vibe may be casual, but the food is expensive,
especially when you enjoy a meal in three or four courses. Expect to pay $75 to $150 for two depending on wine selections.
All of the food is made from scratch and is very fresh. The lasagna takes two days from start to finish.
Noteworthy: The restaurant is slated to close
for the first three weeks in January for a family vacation to Italy. Also, Osteria Fasulo is serving a four-course Thanksgiving dinner, $45 per person. Courtyard Dining: Osteria Fasulo (click
above to see pictures) October 2, 2009 I’ve
lived in Davis for just over two years now and still love trying new restaurants. When Rick Kushman suggested that the SacFoodies
try Osteria Fasulo as part of the courtyard dining series I jumped at the chance. Osteria Fasulo is an Italian restaurant located in West
Davis: its location is unique in itself – the restaurant is situated in a residential neighborhood instead of downtown,
where most others Davis eateries are located. In fact, I was wondering to myself when we pulled up how a restaurant,
so far off the beaten path, was famous for being one of the best restaurants in town… and then I saw the patio.
I would like to point out that the inside of Osteria Fasulo is homey, and very nice, but the patio
is what makes the place so great – it’s huge and looks onto the restaurant’s garden and a neighborhood bike
path. Lucky for my husband and me it was a warm summer evening and we wanted our meal to linger into the night when the patio’s
strung lights would be illuminated, which it definitely did! As per usual, we couldn’t decide what to
try, so we ordered a selection of menu items and tasted off of each other’s plates. After the order was placed
and wine poured, our server left us to sit at our cozy corner table under the grapevines, while she started rustling through
the garden. We made our guesses about what she was harvesting and then saw her surface with a small squash blossom and
immediately disappear into the kitchen. It was to my pure delight when our first course, a Summer Squash Soup, came out
topped with the blossom, stuffed with goat cheese and grilled – delish!
Our evening got better as the sun went down – the food kept coming and the service was very friendly
and the staff was quite knowledgeable.
Just as
we were being served dessert the owner, Leonardo Fasulo stopped by our table to say hello and ask how our dinner was.
I loved this – such a nice touch that not many restaurant owners take the time to do, and it makes all the difference.
At Osteria Fasulo you feel at home and welcome to sit in the patio and enjoy until your heart’s content. Of course
nothing tops off a long dinner like a dessert and a latte – our choice was the Bavaria Cream with Raspberry Puree and
Chocolate Shavings. What a night! Osteria
Fasulo
2657 Portage Bay East
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 758-1324 By Christine Schunk
|
| | Cozy Restaurants, Comforting Food By Kira O'Donnell | From October 2008 | | Osteria Fasulo Davis’ Osteria Fasulo is one of the most romantic restaurants in the region. Situated on
the edge of a fecund community vegetable garden, it has a stunning outdoor courtyard bordered by trellised grapevines and
punctuated by leafy trees strung with tiny lights. Indoors, the charming dining room features scarlet walls hung with striking
artwork painted by owner Leonardo Fasulo and old black-and-white photographs of the Fasulo family. The menu is Italian, and
you can’t go wrong with pasta, especially the handmade raviolis, with their silky exteriors and flavorful stuffings.
It’s clear Leonardo Fasulo loves seafood, which pops up in his rich lasagna di mare (housemade pasta layered with seafood and béchamel sauce) and his hearty cioppino. The
pesce del giorno (fish of the day) is also a good bet.
On a recent visit, I tried the pan-roasted sea bass served on fabulous white beans. The restaurant also offers a nice selection
of Italian wines. Guys, if you’re going to propose, this is the place to do it.
2657 Portage Bay East,
Davis; (530) 758-1324; osteriafasulo.com
In case
you missed it, Osteria Fasulo was featured in Sacramento Magazine's October 2005 Issue. The Dining Divas spent a wonderful
afternoon dining al fresco and their rave review of their experience tells all in SacMagazine. You can also click our News
page to view a portion of the article.
Fasulo had such fun hosting the Diva's party of 12, and as they said themselves,
"Lunch easily could have segued into dinner, but for that four-letter word: WORK. So another Diva experience came to
a close, regrettably, but we promised to return to Osteria Fasulo."
But don't take our word for it, read
the review and find out why Osteria Fasulo is still the place where we consistently present the foods, flavors and feel of
Italia. And, as Diva Gloria Glyer says, "You don't need a passport to dine at this Italian restaurant."
____________________________>_________________________________________________
Osteria Fasulo serves Lunch
monday through friday dinner nightly Monday through Saturday and we hosts our special "Circolo Members Only Dinners",
as well.
In the meantime, the Fasulos are currently recruiting an enthusiastic, dedicated and hardworking cast
to fill server and busser positions to join our talented team at OSTERIA FASULO!
To be considered, candidates must
have a minimum of three years fine dining experience. And of course, strong knowledge of fine Italian food & wine are
definitely a plus! Email us at papafasulo.com to request an application.
Please send cover letter of interest,
completed application and resume or email Mr. Leonardo Fasulo at papafasulo@comcast.net. Candidates who meet OSTERIA FASULO
job requirements will be invited for a personal interview with management.
_____________________
_____________________________
Where is Osteria Fasulo?
Tucked away in West Davis, California's internationally recognized Village Homes
Community and a stone's throw away from the Mondavi Arts Center and the UC Davis campus — Osteria Fasulo is definitely
a destination in fine dining with casual elegance for dinner and now, lunch too.
For those who enjoy only the best
— Osteria Fasulo is where you want to be. It's simply Italian.
__________________________
Our menu promises to capture the Italian spirit of making every meal a special occasion.
We've created Osteria
Fasulo to be a place where guests will come to enjoy an authentic Italian gourmet meal in an intimate European setting. A
warm, inviting place where the regulars have their personal favorites from our menu and where our guests long for their next
return.
Serving traditional and contemporary dishes — simply yet elegantly prepared — every dish features
the freshest ingredients because our chefs make everything from scratch. We take full advantage of the abundance of unique
products that California’s rich soils have to offer, including fresh vegetables and herbs that grow right in our own
garden.
Our guests come to experience timeless quality and fine dining that resists trends and invites relaxation.
Our love and passion for good food, good wine and good friends is evident throughout our restaurant — an extension
of our home. You can count on us to be there each evening to welcome you because it is our commitment to make sure that we
provide you with the best food, flavor and feel of Italy — without needing to fly there to experience Cibo Italiano.
Osteria Fasulo is simply Italian.
Arrivederci a presto.
Leonardo Fasulo
P.S.
Next time you visit us, please make sure you ask Leonardo about joining "Osteria Fasulo — Circolo."
NEWS AND NOTES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Lisa Martinez,
Director of Marketing & Outreach
Work: 916 442.8575 | Cell: 916.612.9801
20 Sacramento Restaurants
Featured In 2009 Zagat Survey
Local leaders and restaurants to celebrate the City first Zagat rankings
Sacramento, CA (November 4, 2008)For the first time ever, Sacramentos dining
scene received recognition from the internationally
recognized Zagat Survey.
Sacramentos top 20 restaurants, ranked by local consumers, are featured in Zagats
2009
Americas Top Restaurants Survey.
The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP), Sacramento Convention & Visitors
Bureau (SCVB), Sactown Magazine and California Restaurant Association (CRA) will
honor the top 20 restaurants
at a reception at The Firehouse Restaurant on
November 6 at 3 pm.
The restaurants that appear in the 2009
survey include Biba Restaurant, Bidwell
Street Bistro, Boulevard Bistro, Ella Dining Room & Bar, The Firehouse Restaurant,
Frank Fat's, Hawks, The Ktichen, Kru, La Bonne Soupe Caf. Lemon Grass
Restaurant, Mason's, Mikuni Sushi, Mulvaney's
Building & Loan, Osteria Fasulo,
Paragary's Bar & Oven, Tower Caf, Tuli Bistro, Waterboy Restaurant, and Zocalo
Local officials expect the inclusion of Sacramento to be boost for local tourism. "One
of the key
marketing messages that we use to sell Sacramento to the rest of the
world is the great quality and diversity of our
restaurant scene," said Steve
Hammond, president & CEO of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"A
third-party endorsement from a well-respected source like Zagat presents a great
opportunity for this
City and our organization will leverage that endorsement in our
sales materials on a year-round basis."
Until recently, Sacramento was off Zagats radar despite the regions diversity and
growth. Getting the attention
New-York based company was no easy task. Several
years ago, a coalition represented by the DSP, SCVB, Metro Chamber,
The Firehouse
Restaurant and CRA approached Zagat to create a Sacramento guide to no avail.
Sactown Magazine successfully
picked up the conversation with Zagat. The magazine
ran an article calling for action in their March/April 2009 issue,
which ultimately lead
to the local survey in May.
Weve finally received the recognition Sacramento deserves
thanks to the collective
efforts of Sactown Magazine, the CVB and local restaurants, said Michael Ault, DSP
executive
director. Inclusion in the Americas Top Restaurant Survey is an
accomplishment that our city should be proud of and
were looking forward to the
release of the Sacramento Pocket Guide in January.
About Zagat
Known
as the wildly popular burgundy bible, Zagat Survey is the worlds most
trusted source for information about where to
eat, drink, stay and play around the
globe, and as such has become a symbol of quality. Unlike other guides that rely
upon the opinions of a few critics, Zagat Survey content is based on the collective
opinions of more than 300,000
savvy surveyors worldwide. The guides are built on
the belief that consumers are best served when they have access
to a variety of
information resources from other avid consumers. The survey results are compiled
into comprehensive,
fun-to-read guidebooks that help consumers make quick,
informed decisions.
The Downtown Sacramento Partnerships
mission is to establish downtown
Sacramento as the vibrant business, cultural and entertainment destination in
the
Sacramento region through effective private-public collaboration to benefit
residents, visitors and investors.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Make It: Roasted Tomato Soup
From December 2008
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This recipe, provided by Adam Walsworth, executive chef at Osteria Fasulo in Davis,
took first prize at the 2008 Souper Bowl, a soup cook-off sponsored by the Davis Food Co-op.
3 pounds Roma tomatoes,
cut in quarters
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 quart vegetable
stock or broth
2 bunches fresh basil, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven
to 275 degrees. Place tomatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, sugar and salt. Spread out on a large baking sheet
and roast in oven for 1 hour. Chop coarsely and set aside.
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion
and garlic and saute until onions are soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add stock or broth and roasted
tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cream and cook for 5 more minutes. (For a smoother
soup, add an additional 1/4 cup of stock and puree in a food processor.) Remove from heat and add chopped basil. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Serves 4.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cozy
Restaurants, Comforting Food
By Kira O'Donnell | From October 2008
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As the long, hot days of summer give
way to crisp autumn, thoughts turn toward comfort food. Its time to move from summers light, refreshing dishes to more substantial,
nourishing meals that will keep you warm through the winter. Here are some of the regions coziest restaurants, experts at
dishing out food that will make you feel all toasty insideeven when its cold outside.Osteria Fasulo
Davis Osteria Fasulo
is one of the most romantic restaurants in the region. Situated on the edge of a fecund community vegetable garden, it has
a stunning outdoor courtyard bordered by trellised grapevines and punctuated by leafy trees strung with tiny lights. Indoors,
the charming dining room features scarlet walls hung with striking artwork painted by owner Leonardo Fasulo and old black-and-white
photographs of the Fasulo family. The menu is Italian, and you cant go wrong with pasta, especially the handmade raviolis,
with their silky exteriors and flavorful stuffings. Its clear Leonardo Fasulo loves seafood, which pops up in his rich lasagna
di mare (housemade pasta layered with seafood and bechamel sauce) and his hearty cioppino. The pesce del giorno (fish of the
day) is also a good bet. On a recent visit, I tried the pan-roasted sea bass served on fabulous white beans. The restaurant
also offers a nice selection of Italian wines. Guys, if you're going to propose, this is the place to do it.
2657 Portage
Bay East, Davis; (530) 758-1324; osteriafasulo.com
The Dining Divas of Sacramento Magazine's October 2005
Edition rave about Osteria Fasulo. If you haven't read the story, here it is:
-----------------------------------------------------------
SACRAMENTO MAGAZINE
Osteria Fasulo
You don't need a passport to dine at this Italian restaurant in Davis
By Gloria Glyer
At Osteria Fasulo, the insalata della casa is more than just a house salad. It arrives
in a presentation basket called a frico made of Parmesan. With that kind of flourish, the Dining Diva lunchers had a clue
as to what to anticipate at this establishment, located a bit west of downtown Davis.
An osteria is a family-run
restaurant. Here, owners Leonardo and Mina Fasulo seek to present the foods, flavors and feel of Italia. And according to
the members of our group who recently have traveled in Italy, they succeed.
We sat outdoors beneath shade trees,
a casual spot to enjoy Osteria Fasulos elegant food. Server Ali Lera, a UC Davis graduate, took our wine order. Diva Bernice
Hagen decided on an Italian sparkler, Prosecco Ruggen Valdobbiave NV, followed by a Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon blend by Bartani.
Hagen called the Prosecco a fun wine very light, sparkling. It was very good for a light lunch.
From the menu,
we ordered animelle al formaggio tratufato e miele (sweetbreads with truffled cheese and honey); carpaccio alla Leonardo (thinly
sliced filet mignon stuffed with Maine lobster); panino di verdure grigliate (grilled-vegetable sandwich); cannelloni alla
pescatora (housemade pasta filled with seafood); scaloppine di pollo (sauteed chicken with tomato sauce), plus the daily specials:
potato gnocchi with truffled butter sauce; ahi, served on a bed of braised fennel; heirloom-tomato salad with mozzarella and
basil; and white-bean soup with truffle oil.
Not being a devotee of sweetbreads, I always take a bite and listen
to other comments to find out if I should be thrilled or not. I needed no help with Osteria Fasulos version. The generous
serving of sweetbreads, which had been deep-fried and topped with a sprinkling of fried leeks, was innovative and satisfying.
It was a warm day, but the white-bean soup was flavorful and attractive, with swirls of truffle oil giving the
soup dimension and color contrast.
Gnocchi, which is as much fun to say as to devour, has as many interpretations
as there are Italian cooks. Don't miss the ones at Fasulo. The potato dumplings had been handled with care and, I suspect,
with little kneading, and were delicately fried and dressed with browned truffle butter. Light as air? Just about, which is
a challenge given the dishes heavy ingredients. Cannelloni, filled with seafood and topped with bechamel sauce, arrived in
a gratin dish and sported a slightly crusty topping. This would be good with the house salad.
The chicken scaloppini
was tender but was served with slightly more tomato sauce than necessary. I would have swirled a crust of bread in the sauce,
but there was none. Did we miss it? Or is bread not served at lunch?
Fennel, which makes its way into many of
the dishes here, almost became the star when served with the ahi. Small chunks of sauted fennel added crunch and flavor that
enhanced the mild fish. The perfectly prepared ahi was finished with lemon juice and olive oil a simple dish, really, when
you look at the ingredients.
That is how all of the food appeared to us: nothing overpowering, just the right
amount of an unexpected ingredient to make a mild dish sing.
And this was even before the desserts, which are
made in-house. The chocolate creme brulee topped with caramelized bananas was perfecttoo good, in fact, to share. We also
ordered the housemade crepes filled with berries and lemon cream another winner. The tiramisu was just all right, but the
fresh strawberries were refreshing.
Adam Walsworth reigns as executive chef, with Mike Redfearn as assistant chef.
Both are self-trained; you get the feeling they are always learning and are appreciative of comments. Owner Leonardo Fasulo
helped bus our table when our server was busy. The place is informal, so it seemed all right to fill our own water and wine
glasses, but it would have been better to have someone else on hand.
The Divas Speak
The Divas gave
enthusiastic reviews to the gnocchi, sweetbreads, tomato salad, cannelloni and chocolate creme brulee. Paulette Bruce-Miller
especially enjoyed the setting, commenting: This is how outdoor dining should be: peaceful and shared with good people. No
one wanted to leave. About the food, nothing was too heavy, allowing the true flavor of the food to come through.
FOR THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE, PICK UP A COPY OF SACRAMENTO MAGAZINE'S OCTOBER ISSUE.
____________________________
Osteria Fasulo was also prominently featured in the Premiere Fall 2005 Issue of Luxury Living Magazine.
We
will be publishing a copy of that outstanding review by food writer and critic, Jim Pelley, as soon as possible.
_____________________________
May 2005 For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO Osteria Fasulo made a guest
appearance on KCRA, Channel 3 (local NBC affiliate) where Chef Adam Walsworth and owner Leonardo Fasulo prepared one of the
restaurant's popular signature dishes. Guests at the live taping enjoyed a taste of Osteria Fasulo.
April
10, 2005 For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO Today Osteria Fasulo served as 'host' to UPN 31's popular Sunday Brunch
show. Executive chef, Adam Walsworth and assistant chef, Mike Redfearn joined Channel 31's morning news crew to 'cook brunch
for a Davis family' who could identify the show's password. The lucky family who said "Prosciutto di Parma" won
a special home cooked brunch, prepared right in the comfort of their own home by Osteria Fasulo's chef's Walsworth and Redfearn.
The newsroom raved that it was one of their best shows yet. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian brunch was prepared
for the two Davis families which included lobster and prawns omelettes, crepes and their famous house salad.
February 8, 2005 For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO Osteria Fasulo owner, Leonardo Fasulo and his executive
chef, Adam Walsworth were invited today to join the KXTV-10, ABC affiliate station for a "San Valentino" cooking
demonstration in preparation for the romance of February 14th.
Chef Walsworth conducted a LIVE cooking demonstration
during Channel 10's popular 12 noon lunch segment while Fasulo shared the highlights of the San Valentino menu with anchor,
Dan Elliot. Walsworth prepared the restaurant's traditional scampi dish for the hosts.
Fasulo shared the scampi
recipe with viewers and took the opportunity to announce that the restaurant was now open for lunch!
_____________________________________
November 16, 2004 For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO Our celebrity Executive Chef, Adam Walsworth appeared
today on "Good Morning Sacramento's" UPN-31 TV cooking segment to demonstrate for viewers how to prepare Cioppino
della Casa a popular dish served at Osteria Fasulo in Davis.
"I always prepare this dish, like all the
dishes we serve at Osteria Fasulo, using only the best and finest ingredients I can find this dish is no different. Everyone
loves Cioppino, it's a traditional Italian seafood stew that I make using only the freshest lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp
and fish of the day," said Chef Walsworth.
Walsworth was right, after his on-air demonstration the TV news
anchors and crew enjoyed the "best Cioppino they'd ever tasted."
The UPN-Channel 31 TV program aired
as part of Leonardo Fasulo and Osteria Fasulo's support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
______________________
Osteria Fasulo has just introduced it's new Lunch and Dinner Menu. The menu is delightful and delicious. Our guests
are raving about the delicious new dishes we've put on the menu to welcome in the new season.
And don't forget,
reservations are strongly encouraged so that you get to join us when you're in the mood for a visit to Italy and a true dining
experience.
______________________________
(Sacramento) Winter, 2003 Osteria Fasulo gets its' first great
restaurant review (after only being opened three months) by Sacramento Bee's restaurant critic, Mike Dunne.
___________________
Leonardo's Masterpiece
At Osteria Fasulo, a small space in Davis comes alive
By Mike Dunne
Bee
Restaurant Critic
DINING
A decade ago, Leonardo Fasulo was managing the suave Italian restaurant
Donatello in San Francisco. Then his wife, Mina, became communications director for the California School Board Association
in West Sacramento.
As she commuted from their home in the Bay Area, Fasulo became a stay-at-home dad, at first
rearing their four sons in the Bay Area, and since 1998 in Elk Grove.
Then last summer, Fasulo got the itch to
return to restaurateuring. In looking at potential sites for his own place, he fell in love with the odd suburban cottage
that for years housed the highly regarded Plumshire Inn on the western outskirts of Davis.
The smallness of the
building, the adjoining patio and the isolation all appealed to his memories of the homey, remote, family-run osterias of
his native Piedmont in northern Italy.
He recruited as his executive chef Adam Walsworth, formerly of Headquarter
House in Auburn and Cascades in Roseville, and in mid-October they opened Osteria Fasulo.
Fasulo's passion for
family and his heritage is evident as soon as guests walk in. One entire wall is given over to his family tree, dating to
1655. It's surrounded by a gallery of classic family photos, each framed and displayed affectionately. The message: Tradition
is being rekindled here, with the hope that Osteria Fasulo will encourage the sort of spontaneous and convivial mood typical
of the rural osterias and trattorias of Italy. It's working, to judge by the easy rapport between servers and their customers,
the one or two large parties generally in the place, and Fasulo's hovering solicitousness.
The bold red color scheme
of the place, right down to the plaid carpeting, also does exactly what red is supposed to do in a restaurant - stimulate
conversation and raise passions. (The refreshing red-tinted complimentary drink that greets guests, a rosy blend of the sparkling
Italian wine prosecco and strawberry puree, also works to that effect.)
The red is dramatic on the walls and more
subtle and sensuous in the collections of Italian glass here and there, but it's most vivid in Fasulo's own version of that
other Leonardo's masterpiece, "The Last Supper." Fasulo's interpretation runs to a stark white, Picasso-inspired
cubist outline against a red background of brush strokes that look like individual pieces of tile intricately pieced together.
The extensive and varied Osteria Fasulo menu is rigidly Italian, and while the tone is modern and inventive, the impact
hues to the country's tradition of rich, lively, warmly saturating dishes. They're presented simply, without pretense, but
their detailing invites lingering study.
The menu is divided into appetizers, salads, soups, "i primi"
(first courses), "i secondi" (second courses) and "dolci" (desserts). Other than the entree-style second
courses, portions tend to be small and could surprise diners who expect helpings to be fairly substantial when they are paying
$7 to $16 for starters. Servers, however, were careful to alert guests of this departure from the usual.
By and
large, Walsworth's cooking is assured and invigorating, with flavors direct and combinations smart. Virtually every dish highlighted
one prime ingredient, but backup players were treated respectfully, their support clearly crucial to the overall success of
each course.
I blanched at an appetizer of grilled polenta with gorgonzola and asparagus, fearing the midwinter
spear would be bland and woody, but it brought a surprising ray of bright spring sunshine to the warm and creamy polenta ($7).
Roasted tomatoes and fresh basil similarly perked up crepes oozing with warm mozzarella ($8); the earthiness of wonderfully
fat and buttery mushrooms drizzled with aioli contrasted fittingly with their crisp bed of grated and fried potato ($8); and
lobster, scallops and cream sauce all brought varying degrees of sweetness to a first-course lasagna ($16).
Two
salads yielded mixed results. Red and yellow sliced beefsteak tomatoes were bland but for the fresh, flavorful anchovies draped
across them ($8), while lightly dressed, carefully handled greens arrived in a wonderfully robust cup of molded frico, or
fried Parmigiano cheese ($7).
Aside from sauteed chicken cutlets whose side of asparagus suffered from too much
salt ($17), main courses were first-rate. A monumental grilled veal chop topped with thin slices of buttery foie gras and
a dice of black truffles - a dish more representative of a ristorante than an osteria - was especially memorable, with the
meat juicy and flavorful, its side of arugula adding welcome spice to the composition ($33).
A deftly roasted filet
of sea bass was dramatically thick, freshly flavored and sweet, its white-bean ragout enlivened with a distinct herbal flavor
I suspect was basil ($21). The hearty and moist red meat of a roasted lamb shank was another forthright winner, draped with
a red-wine sauce and accompanied with roasted garlic potatoes ($21).
Compared with the rest of the meal, desserts
were relatively low-key, lacking the overall impact of their forerunners. The panna cotta - a baked Italian white custard
- was pleasant, delicate and smooth, and the serving was so small no one need fret about consuming many calories ($6). A small
serving of thin-sliced strawberries would have been more impressive had the "30-year-old" balsamic vinegar with
which they were splashed been more intense ($8). The two hits were sturdy cannoli filled with a satiny chocolate cream ($6),
and soft, eggy crepes layered with an almond-flavored cream and sprinkled with crumbled amaretti cookies ($7).
They
make a fine espresso at Osteria Fasulo, and the vin santo from the brief but careful selection of dessert wines also would
make a fitting companion for any of the desserts.
The largely Italian wine list is attractively priced and fitting
in variety, power and weight for the strength of the food, and some intriguing California, Oregon and French selections also
are available.
Servers were intelligent, diligent and friendly, but occasionally slipped up in the pacing of the
meals.
Osteria Fasulo isn't far from the Mondavi Center, but getting there requires an unusual route: Take I-80
west to Davis, then proceed north on Highway 113 toward Woodland. Take the Russell Boulevard exit and turn left over the freeway.
Stay in the left lane, remaining on Russell Boulevard to the left as the road splits. Proceed down a tree-bordered lane to
Portage Bay East. Turn right and watch for signs of the restaurant on the right.
* * *
The Bee's Mike
Dunne can be reached at (916) 321-1143 or mdunne@sacbee.com.
Osteria Fasulo
2657 Portage Bay East, Davis
(530) 758-1324
Three Stars / $$$-$$$$
FOOD: While Osteria Fasulo's style of Italian cooking is modern
and inventive, it doesn't sacrifice the genre's traditionally warm and comforting embrace.
AMBIENCE: Leonardo Fasulo's
art, Florentine mirrors and Italian glass transform small, isolated quarters into an osteria of unusual class and charm.
HITS: The refreshing complimentary glasses of fizzy prosecco and strawberry puree that greet guests. The natural rapport
between clientele and staff. The proud, cohesive design.
MISSES: Though the largely Italian wine selection is interesting
and in perfect pitch with the food, unflattering stemware, the stiff $20 corkage fee and numerous misspellings on the list
needlessly undermine professional wine service. Occasionally erratic pacing of the service.
HOURS: Dinner only,
5:30-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
____________________________
UP FRONT COLUMN by Mina Fasulo
Winter issue published in California Schools Magazine
"La Vita e Bella (Life is beautiful) A story about
a mom, a dad, four boys ... and a girl?!!"
Leonardo and I welcomed a new baby to our family this year.
A baby girl.
After fifteen years of marriage and four boys, we finally have a girl, Leonardo joked with me recently,
as we stood in the kitchen of our new Italian restaurant. We named her Osteria Fasulo. Osteria isnt actually a girls name
but it is Italian for upscale and intimate as in restaurant).
Youre right! We finally have our baby girl! And,
we didn't even have to wait nine months for her to arrive and best of all, no changing diapers and no late night feedings,
I joked back.
Nope, none of that. But like a baby, we have to care, feed and love her so that she grows up to
be beautiful inside and out, Leonardo said.
And just like a baby, we soon discovered, she doesn't come with
a step-by-step manual on how to deal with the big stuff, the small stuff and all the stuff in between of opening a restaurant.
I learned right away that opening a restaurant can be a very intimidating experience, especially for someone
like me who's never been in the business before. My background has always been in politics, education and public relations
not restaurants.
Lucky for us though, the restaurant business runs through Leonardo's veins. It's in his
blood and his soul. He knows what true success at a restaurant looks like because unlike me, he spent more than 25 years
in the business, traveling the world from Switzerland and England, to Egypt, Singapore, Morocco and Tahiti, to Washington,
D.C. and San Francisco.
Restaurants were just a part of his life that is until he made a brave life-altering
career shift ten years ago. Leonardo became a stay at home dad. He gave up his dog-eat-dog, high-profile life in the San
Francisco restaurant scene to be home with our boys full-time.
Something that, ten years ago, was still relatively
uncommon and unheard of. In fact, stay at home dads were, dare I say, a concept not yet completely understood or embraced
by society.
He did it anyway.
He put us first, tucked his pride away, held his head up high and
stayed home to take care of our family. My career was on a fast track like his, but he stepped aside and pushed me up that
ladder. And we never looked back.
Sure, we had our share of bumps, bruises and minor collisions along the way.
And there were even times when our roads were heading in separate directions, but we always seemed to find our way again
right back to each other. Especially when it came to the things that mattered most to us our kids, our happiness and one
another.
But I also knew there was something still missing in his life. He had, after all, put his entire professional
career on hold for us. Looking back, that was a lot to ask of him because it's really no secret our career plays a significant
role in who we become, how we are shaped, the relationships we make and how we make a difference in the world. But most of
all, our career allows us to grow and flourish and find meaning and have pride in ourselves and our work. It completes us.
But Leonardo gave up that part of himself when he became a stay at home dad. And although Leonardo was an amazing
stay at home dad he needed more than just that in his life he needed to feel complete because professionally, he had stopped
growing and flourishing.
So when he told me about the restaurant he had found, there was something in his voice
that told me this was it. After all of those years of us dreaming about opening our own restaurant, I knew this was going
to be his year. His time. His turn.
Mommy," (he always calls me mommy because it's what our boys call me),
"I think I've finally found the perfect place for us. You're going to love it, Leonardo told me last May.
Really?
Yes, it is the perfect place for us. It was formerly a French-American restaurant. The setting is very European
with an outside patio, a garden and vineyards. It's what we've always dreamed of owning. It's just perfect.
It
sounds too good to be true.
Honest, it' true. You will fall in love with this place. I promise.
He
was right.
By the end of summer, we were in escrow and making plans. Grand plans. After all of the interviews,
paperwork, business licenses, meetings and more paperwork we closed escrow in September and became the proud parents (owners)
of a restaurant.
We had officially joined the more than 12 million other people in the United States working
in the restaurant industry.
And we had two months to pull it off. According to Leonardo's grand plan, we had 60
days to get our baby girl ready.
Between juggling my responsibilities at CSBA and the fact that we were right
in the middle of the worst State Budget crisis California had ever seen, the Recall election and gearing up for the upcoming
$13 billion School Facilities Bond campaignLeonardo and I were now sharing carpool duty of our boys and dealing with the weight
of opening a restaurant together.
We were sharing in many other duties as well. I quickly adapted and learned
to do things I never had to worry about before. I learned how to cook, clean and carpool in a matter of weeks okay it was
more like months. But I learned.
And every free moment I had away from the office, I'd spend with the kids
at the restaurant because we had so much to get done in less than 60 days. Leonardo was in charge of everything except the
interior decorating and design, he left that role to me. Which I happily accepted.
It really needs a woman's
touch and warmth, he told me.
We spent weekends interviewing staff, in between hanging silk drapes, black and
white family photographs and his Picasso-like oil paintings. Picking out menu covers, linens and silverware. Meeting and
talking with our graphic designer late into the evenings to go over every detail of our business cards, announcements and
dinner, wine and dessert menus.
There was so much to be done.
We taste-tested menu selections nightly
(for weeks) with our chefs. And Leonardo took great care to personally manage, direct and guide everything (from each dish
that would be outstanding enough to make it on the menu) to every last and final detail. He did it all and didn't need anyone to advise or guide him because this was HIS baby it
was his vision and he knew exactly what he wanted and the way Osteria Fasulo was going to run. This was his dream and he
knew what it was going to take.
But that wasn't all because he continued to juggle his stay at home dad responsibilities,
while getting things in order to ensure that everything would be perfect.
And when opening night finally arrived,
that's exactly what it was.
Perfect!
On October 15, 2003, we officially opened our doors for dinner.
We were completely booked, as we hosted a full house of guests. It was a very humbling and incredibly rewarding nighton
so many levels.
At one point in the evening, the entire restaurant was packed. I stood back and I watched my
husband work his magic. He was in his element. This was where he belonged. I was so proud of him.
He worked
the room like a charm. He went from table to table, spending time welcoming and getting to know each and every one of our
guests. And as I watched him, I thought about how happy he looked. I hadn't seen him that happy in a long time. It hit
me suddenly, he really had given up so much of himself and for so long, to be home with our boys. I'm not sure I could've
made the same sacrifices and commitment that he had made to us for 10 years.
It wasn't until that very moment that
I finally understood what he meant all of the times when he use to say, I miss the people, the feeling, the sense of meaning,
I miss it. I never fully understood what he meant by that until that night.
He turned to look for me in the
crowded room and when he met my eyes, he smiled and motioned for me to come over to the table.
Vieni qua, amore
mio, he called to me in his sweet Italian accent. (Come over here, my love.)
Yes darling? I asked.
I
want you to meet my lovely wife. This is Mina, my amore, he said to our guests. She deserves all the credit. She's behind
all of this. She made this happen.
Leonardo and I both knew that he was the reason it happened. He deserves
all the credit. I never stopped believing in him thats what I take credit for I always knew that he would make it happen.
And when he did, he'd be spectacular!
Looking across our restaurant that evening, listening to the buzz of lively
conversation and laughter, the clinking of wine glasses and silverware against the plates, and the generous compliments from
guests praising the exciting dishes coming out from the kitchen I knew he had made it. He did it!
But what does
this all have to do with my work at the California School Boards Association?
Quite a bit. I know that I've been
able to do my job effectively and do it with the passion, drive and commitment that I bring every day into our offices because
of Leonardo. Every day that I'd leave for work or board an airplane for business, I never once had to worry about the kids,
the carpooling, the cleaning, the cooking.
He did that.
He changed the diapers, did the laundry
and took care of the dry-cleaning, the pediatrician and dental visits, he managed the bills and our propertiesand he would
still find time to surprise me with silly little gifts, just so I'
d know he was thinking of me. He gave me peace of
mind and allowed me to concentrate exclusively on my demanding and often times, challenging job of working with more than
1,000 school districts in California.
He never stopped believing in me, always pushing me to succeed and supporting
me to that next step, even if often times it meant another year of him staying home with our babies. Another year of him
being Mr. Mom. It was a rare price for him to pay but because of it, our babies grew up (over those years) into loving, secure
and incredible young gentlemen. I owe so much of that to Leonardo. Because of him, I was able to spread my wings and soar
at CSBA.
We're all adjusting nicely to our new life with our beautiful baby girl, Osteria Fasulo. And Leonardo?
Leonardo's living his dream. He's finally back in the game.
Only this time it's my turn to push him up that
ladder.
Written by Mina Fasulo, Editor in chief
Fasulo writes a quarterly column
entitled, Up Front, which appears in California Schools Magazine
Reprinted with permission: California Schools
Magazine Winter issue, 2003
_________________________________
March 4, 2004
SACRAMENTO
For Immediate Release
GOOD EVENING SACRAMENTO UPN-31 TV TAPES LIVE
The television foodie crew of "Good
Evening Sacramento" (UPN-31) recently paid a dinner visit to Osteria Fasulo in early spring. Foodie extraordinaire and
dining diva herself, Peg Tomlinson-Poswall, came to the restaurant to feature the menu LIVE.
The UPN-31 TV program
aired live that night, where the restaurant and guests served as the backdrop while Peg introduced each of the contemporary
and authentic Italian dishes on the Osteria Fasulo menu. She enjoyed everything that came out of the kitchen and gushed about
every dish (from the gli antipasti, to the primi, secondi and dolci) that were presented to her and her crew that evening.
It was a delight to host this dining diva and quite humbling to the Fasulo family and friends who watched with
excitement as the show unfolded, airing LIVE for Sacramento television viewers that night.
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