Diner Survey Results 7 responses
Recent Visitors to CUCINA enoteca
- 2/18/2017
A dining patron from Corona, CA tried it.
- 5/16/2015
An Italian food lover from San Jose, CA tried it, liked it, and rated it . They liked the food, liked the service, and liked the ambiance.
- 1/15/2015
An Italian chowhound from San Jose, CA tried it.
- 9/01/2014
A dining patron from San Jose, CA tried it.
- 2/22/2014
An Italian food lover from San Jose, CA tried it, liked it, and rated it . They liked the food, liked the service, and liked the ambiance.
- 2/16/2014
A dining patron from San Jose, CA tried it.
- 9/27/2013
An Italian chowhound from Laguna Beach, CA tried it, liked it, and rated it . They liked the food, liked the service, and liked the ambiance.
- 9/21/2013
An Italian chowhound from Hermosa Beach, CA tried it.
- 8/30/2013
An Italian chowhound from Tustin, CA tried it and liked it.
- 8/23/2013
An Italian food lover from Laguna Beach, CA tried it and liked it.
Editorial Review
- Rating:
- 14 / 20
- Price:
- $$$$$
- Read Gayot Review »
CUCINA enoteca Articles — Things To Know Before You Go
While Italian cuisine involves many meats, cheeses, seafood, and vegetables, most of us associate Italian cuisine first and foremost with pasta. Pasta comes in many shapes and sizes, and each shap...read more
turtley
A great addition to the Irvine Spectrum
We tried this place out for OC Restaurant week and it was the highlight of the week. They offer a very diverse menu and the decorations are intricate and pleasing to the eye. To start off, there are two types of appetizers: Italian and bread spreads. Yes, there is a whole portion of the menu with different spreads for your bread, such as Pate, pear jam, or burrata. It sounded so good we had to add it on top of our pricy restaurant week menu (what good Italian place isn’t expensive though?). The pate was rich and tasty, but not being a huge pate person, I could only eat so much of it. My girlfriend loved it through.
The appetizer of beet salad and ricotta gnudi were above average. The gnudi in particular was insanely rich, so I expect most people would eat one and be done (I ate 2.5 of course). The main course was as expected for nice Italian: the pappardelle was executed well (as most places that offer pappardelle). The mushroom/truffle pizza was not mindblowing, but very different than normal pizzas; I sort of wish we got the fried egg on top but we had so much food already.
Dessert, though, was Amazing, capital A. The zeppole was a perfect crispiness and sweetness, added on with a bit of orange peel on top. Imagine a very fancy, creme filled, churro ball. Good, right? The budino was similar to a fudgy pudding, as it had a soft and semi-viscous consistency. The bits of chocolate in it added a lot of the texture and gave more for your mouth to do with.
Overall, the restaurant had excellent food and service. I would go back to try more spreads and dessert.
Dishes Tried:
Ricotta Gnudi
A ball of rich ricotta cheese that smothers your mouth. The outside has a doughy texture which is just enough to complement the creamy cheese. If you like cheese, this is perfect. You may not eat all of them since it is so rich.
Beet + Ricotta Salad
The beets added a nice flavor to go with the salad.
Foraged Mushroom Pizza
The truffle oil adds a nice complement to the pizza.
Short Rib Pappardelle
Plenty of meat and noodles. No complaints about the dish but didn’t wow me as much as the other foods. Very solid.
Zeppole
A perfect dessert. It’s small but that’s to help you from overeating it. Fried ball covered in cinnamon/sugar, orange peel, and stuffed with vnailla cream and dulce de leche. Can’t lose!
Bittersweet Chocalate Budino
The chocolate pieces in the pudding-like texture was the topper for a great dessert.
WeekdayVeg
Fun creative menu
The menu features many great sounding items – too hard to choose. On our first visit we had the gorgonzola walnut mousse poached pear burrata roasted garlic confit, the beet plus housemade ricotta salad, and the kabocha squash parsnip ravioli. All were excellent and nicely presented. Then for desert we shared a strawberry pastry with pistachio ice cream – delicious! Our waiter Rob L was the most attentive and helpful as can be. We’ll definitely be going back
Dishes Tried:
gorgonzola walnut mousse poached pear burrata roasted garlic confit
Amazing combination of flavors and very generous portion. We asked for and received more toast to continue enjoying the gorgonzola spread to the last speck in the jar.
Best Dishes at CUCINA enoteca
View all dishesThese dishes from the CUCINA enoteca menu are contributed by Menuism users directly, as part of a restaurant review, or as part of a photo upload.
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gorgonzola walnut mousse poached pear burrata roasted garlic confit ()
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Foraged Mushroom Pizza ()
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Bittersweet Chocalate Budino
