IL Farro Caffe, Newport Beach

the veil is awsome never had a bad meal ive been coming here since the early nineties.

I will eat here again. The Gnocchetti con Spinaci al Pomodoro e Crema (fresh potato pasta in a light cream sauce with some tomato coloring and basil). Sauce is appropriately rich, gnocchi was perfectly cooked, light yet filling. Service, price and value were there tonight. 3/10/11 WARNING: The garlic infused olive oil with complementary bread, great flavors, lots of rich fresh garlic. (I loved it) Moms and dads (girlfriends and boyfriends, you both have to eat the olive oil, or else. If you cannot tolerate the garlic rush, ask for the plain olive oil, it is tasty on its own. A restaurant with food and character. Wonder how the veal is?

So out of all the restaurants on OC restauran week, I chose the Il Farro. I loved the location being at the Newport Pier and the thick of fratty drunken college kids roaming around. I just loved the upbeat feel. Knowing that it was restaurant week, I prepared ahead of time and called in my reservations. Unfortunately that was only to guarantee you a seat. This place was packed, and there were couples, groups, just lining up out the door. I made my reservation for 8pm, and ended up being seated close to 8:30. This was probably the only reason why I had to deduct a star because the reservations did not carry much merit, and I had no idea where to find out if I was on the reservation list. Turned out the owner was carrying around a book after 5 minutes of confusion. Besides this, the food was absolutely delicious. I ordered the grilled salmon and chicken, ravioli and mozzarella as entrees. I would say the grilled salmon was perfectly cooked. It was so tender that I could barely get any of it on my fork without it completely breaking apart. The pasta was chewy, and blended well with the garlic butter sauce. The chicken was fantastic as well. They were able to make the chicken just as tender as the salmon. Now I was very impressed at this point. I heard some great things about their pizza, and I will definitely come back to try them out. The prices on the regular menu seem very reasonable. I will definitely come back to the Il Farro to try the pizza.

One of my favorite little restaurants in Newport. The atmosphere is fantastic. The restaurant is in a little alley right near the beach but not facing the ocean. It feels like you are eating at a small family restaurant in the Mediterrean. The pasta is really good, my favorite is the salmon fettucine with vodka and cream sauce. Finally, when you are done eating you can always take a nice stroll next to Newport Beach.

Il Farro is loud and crowded, as any authentic Italian cafe should be. The owner, Dominco, is from Calabria and the food reflects the inspiration of that region, fresh vegatables and grilled chicken can be found in abundance in many dishes. All food is prepared fresh on site and even the bread is homemade. The deserts are made onsite and the Tiramasu is delicous, along with the homemade gelatos. An apre supper cappucino and a walk sans shoes along the coast top off a little Italian vacation. For the money, it's one of the best values on the penninsula.