Quattro Caffé — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

When my significant other wanted to come here for his birthday lunch, it was an unexpected delight. I love Italian food and people very much, having spent eight years with an Italian family before. My significant other's father goes to Italy every year and loves to spend time in Como. Few restaurants in the United States that we've been to have felt Italian, and this was one of them.

When you come here, nearly entire shopping center scene disappears from your senses. The interior cleverly uses a more honeyed wood color from floor-to-ceiling, creating a more cocooned, relaxed setting. The ingredients used here are fresh and fabulous. It is essentially what food should be but in the United States a lot of things are overly processed and our agricultural industrial complex farming makes for produce lacking in flavor.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tomato sauce tasting just like what I had remembered of a freshly made tomato sauce according to a Nonna's recipe. I hadn't tasted this in almost a decade.

We had spaghetti con polpette and pizza with prosciutto and arugula. The crust, pasta, and bread all had great texture and taste. I loved the bitter bite of the arugula. Imported cheeses were delectable. The meat in the polpette was fresh, the polpette were dense and generous in portion. Pasta was undoubtedly al dente. I love, love, love tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. The olive oil and balsamic vinegar had a beautiful, ripe fruity taste.

The European Union bans an artificial growth hormone that is used a lot in American dairy (rBST, synthesized from a strain of e coli) which some people have adverse reactions to. These reactions can be in creases of inflammation in the body, adrenal and thyroid problems, cystic acne related to hormonal problems, and migraines. My significant other and I have these health issues when we eat dairy with rBST but we had none of these reactions to the foods that we ate at this restaurant.

Speaking of Nonna's, I was curious about a photo of a chocolate cake and a flourless chocolate cake described as a torta della nonna dessert menu. A torta della nonna is a lemony custard tart, isn't it?

We had a white chocolate, berry, pistachio, and cream cake that was utterly delectable. One of the best things we've ever eaten.

The people who work here are very attentive and congenial. We appreciate their warmth and hospitality very much. We'd love to keep coming back.

And, their selection of...

Horrible experience. Our party came in at around 3PM, but the food only arrived at 4:30. Now this would have been somewhat tolerable if they had brought back the complimentary bread out to us when they asked us if we wanted a refill. On top of that, the waiter forgot to give out the dipping oil to some of our party, so we were left with dry slabs of bread to feast upon. We ordered pepperoni pizza, gnocchi pesto, and a bistecca sandwich. Obviously, making food like gnocchi and the bistecca with caramelized onions takes a while, but an hour and thirty minutes is excessive. Even when it did come out, there was a long, thin strand of pale blonde hair sitting atop the sauce (our party all had black hair). Still, our food was alright enough: the pizza was good, though a little bit soggy; the new dish of gnocchi was decent with soft pasta and creamy pesto; and the bistecca had a good combination of ingredients, however the meat was a little bit overcooked. I will admit, their portions are sizeable, but the quality of the food wasn't incredible. Also, we had ordered Sprites and a coffee, but they brought out lemonade instead and the coffee never arrived. Overall, the average food did not make up for the insane wait time for the food and...

After an enjoyable shopping day. My wife and our kids came to this restaurant for dinner. They were greeted by a hostess and were told it would be a 20-30 minute wait. After waiting 45 minutes my daughter ask the hostess how much longer she had to wait. The hostess replied, there were many reservation so it will be a longer wait. After and hour and twenty minutes later, my wife asked the hostess, how much longer she had to wait. The hostess told her that she is clearing up the reservation. Then my wife noticed the restaurant manager and other hostesses bring many customers into the restaurant, even the one's that came to wait after my wife and kids. After hour and 40 minutes she ask the hostess how many reservations she had left. She said we're almost done and you should be seated soon. After and hour and 50 minutes my wife and kids were seated. Any restaurant would know an approximate waiting time for a customer based on the reservation. A 20-30 minute wait became an hour and 50 minutes. The restaurant hostess pick and chose who to seat first, not based on who came first. I feel my wife and kids were discriminated. No person, kid, or family should ever experience this. You should serve...