CAFFE ITALIANO RISTORANTE — Restaurant in Citrus Heights

This is a first Authentic Italian Restaurant that I have been to since being in Italy. The environment is very nice and quiet. They have a small section for larger group/table and the main dining area. Another intriguing point is the wine cellar dining experience, this should be fun. The "Authentic Italian Cuisine" means that the dishes have NOT been Americanized. They are produced from original Italian recipes, no short cuts allowed. Delicious!!!

Our meal was exquisite. My ribeye was grilled to perfection, the sole was light and flakey. and the pork loin was so tender you could cut it with a fork.

The wine selection is top notch and we were told that the collection will be thorough, extensive and most remarkable, "every wine is by the glass"! This means I could have a '98 Borolo and not have to fork over for an entire bottle.

The restaurant's staff is thorough and an absolute delight. Everyone that interacted with us were from Italy, so this gave even more authenticity. The desserts were not all standard fare. I had my first "Grandmother's cake" and a Chocolate wonder (Lava Cake). I was told that normally it would have chili peppers incorporated, but the worry was it was too soon for people to appreciate it. However, I appreciated it very much, with our without the chilis.

And of course, I finished my meal with a double espresso that had a wonderfully smooth taste and presented with a beautiful crème.

All in all, a great dinner, great space, great people and I look forward to making the trip from the Bay Area at least once per month if not more. I am looking forward to seeing the restaurant evolve and it has just opened and the menu and wines are sure to mature and change.

Fred...

Oct 2023 update: They are still going strong. Had dinner for our 30th wedding anniversary and we were more than satisfied.

UPDATE July 2022 The same excellent food and service. It really says a lot about this restaurant that after all we have been through these several years that they have not missed a beat. Thank you!

UPDATE Oct 2021 Had dinner celebrating 28th wedding anniversary. The food was great, just like our previous visit. This time around I had the penne & sausage, wife had the braised boar over risotto and daughter had mussels, clams and shrimp. The quality has been consistently good. And Ramone, thank you for your friendly, excellent service and helping make it a nice evening. The chocolate cake was very much appreciated!

Previous Review: First time eating here. Good Italian places are hard to find and I'm happy to say this is good one. The quality was very similar to the meals we had when we visited Tuscany. The staff was polite and attentive. They seem to have a good selection of wines but I went with a Stella Artois. The Wild Boar over risotto special was excellent, tender and tasty. The cream of lentil soup was almost a meal by itself. My wife and daughter each enjoyed their seafood dishes that included, mussels, shrimp and clams. I don't like seafood but it just means more for them :) Next time I want to try...

Overall Rating: 4.5 Second time visiting this local gem. Came to celebrate 3 birthdays on a warm Saturday evening. We started with glasses of chardonnay, Prosecco, and lemonade & soda with a glass of extra ice (thanks Toby). We ordered the prosciutto melone and charcuterie to start. It is a little too early for melon (it wasn't sweet or soft) but the prosciutto was good. The charcuterie is uniquely presented on a 3 tier plate stand and had a nice variety of pickled cauliflower, olives, meats, prosciutto melone and some other tasty treats. Our server, Toby, noticed we weren't able to finish it all and offered to box up what was left "to make sandwiches" - great idea!

Two of us enjoyed the spaghetti polpette and two ordered the linguine vongole. Everyone loved their meals! Amazing how many little clams were fit into our plates! Toby said someone counted 54! Tasty sauces and yummy pasta was the overall comment from the table. 3 more boxes for taking home the leftovers so we had some room for dessert!

Since we were celebrating, we ordered the chocolate cake gelato, bread pudding, cheesecake, and 3 scoops of gelato. The birthday gals each had a cancle to blow out and make a wish - perhaps to return to Caffe...