Il Gatto — Restaurant in La Habra

On the rare occasion, or so it seems, of a date night with my wife, we opted for something different, yet familiar. We've driven by this place more times than we can remember and I even got fish and chips here when it was The Cat and Custard Cup.

We were on our way to get sushi when my wife looked up the Yelp reviews and said, let's try this place... " Fair enough, I thought (and it was close to home)."

I vaguely remembered this place, but it seemed brighter than before. Parking was tight for a Saturday night at 830, but we got a spot. (Their closing at 1030 was a huge plus!). Walking from our parking spot under the veranda that fronted the small shops set the tone for our date night.

The open entrance with the bar front and center and the huge English fire place on the right with a smattering of tables and booths gave a cozy and romantic vibe that my wife commented on right away. We were seated almost immediately, albeit near the restroom (not a good first impression). But we had a great view of the open kitchen.

The head chef was expertly crafting the evening's dishes with his sous chef following suit and the cook preparing the meals. I was captivated by the smoothness of the kitchen and the constant direction by the head chef.

Our waiter, Daniel, was top notch and attentive and very polite. I started with a draft Peroni and my wife just had water. The water was bottled still and was good. Daniel graciously poured for both of us. My beer was cold and delicious.

Warm sourdough bread was brought out along with the requisite olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The bread had the right amount of chewiness with a nice crunch.

Of course, if you've read my reviews in the past, the caprese salad was a must... And I must say it was absolutely wonderful. Unlike Vivo at Universal City Walk, this version was not deconstructed or with sliced mozzarella.

No, it was sliced heirloom tomatoes under a half ball of buffalo mozzarella with generous amounts of arugula decorating the entire plate. The balsamic vinegar drizzle was appropriate and not overpowering. I'm not sure if there was pepper and salt, but as far as I was concerned, the dish was seasoned perfectly.

In addition to the standard fare on the menu, there were two specialities of the the evening: crispy skinned black cod over risotto and linguine vongole (with clams).

We decided on the two specialties: the cod for my wife and the linguine for me. We continued to finish the two remaining pieces of bread when our entrees arrived.

Both were served hot, with the risotto creamy and cooked to perfection and the linguine al dente. The crispy skinned cod had a wonderful crunch when the fork pierced the filet, but the skin was a tad over salted. The saltiness continued into the broth/sauce of the risotto. When eaten without the skin, both the risotto and fish were delightful.

Likewise, the Manila clams were perfectly seasoned, but the white wine sauce was salty. When I mentioned this to Daniel, he said that the clams were naturally salty and that the white wine broth may have had additional salt added. Nonetheless, my wife and I did not send either plate back and we gladly finished our meals.

Btw, Daniel thanked me for my observations and told me he would relay it to the chef.

I couldn't develop a comprehensive review without including dessert. I was excited to hear they had bread pudding (one of my favs) but with an Italian twist: panettone for the bread base!

I love, love, love bread pudding and this, by far, is my absolute favorite. The pairing of warm, soaked panettone with a vanilla brandy sauce with a hint of confectioners sugar was sheer artistry. If I just had this dessert, my review would have been a strong 5 stars.

Everything made the evening memorable, from the ambience, to the service, to the dessert and yes, even the entrees along with their salt. We'll be back for sure, but I've already told my Italian friends to join us next time.

And that time will be sooner rather than...

Was pretty excited about a new restaurant opening up, hoping that it would be a nice one in this area. The evening started ok with a little slowness that can happen in their grand opening. We ordered drinks and bottle of wine and both were good. Now with the food, my wife ordered the soup which was Lentil soup. The salt that was in it was very over powering that she couldn't eat it. The flavor was there, but way to much salt. My wife's entry was spinach and cheese ravioli but inside there was only cheese. They apologized and sent a new dish that was according to what the menu description said. It was tasty. My order was Veal Marsala. Not only that it was very over cooked, but the Marsala sauce was tasteless. And the vegetables that came with it were very cold. Accordingly they were understanding and deducted 50% off our bill. After dinner we sat at the bar area and ordered a after dinner drink which took about 25 minutes to receive after placing our order. We ordered 2 Irish coffees. When they came after 25 minutes they came with no whipped cream. Our server said the restaurant didn't have any. ????? What restaurant doesn't have whipped cream??? Any way, they were quite delicious. Summary, We will be going back for another try, but only at the bar and not for the food. Although the pizzas looked good. All in all I would not call this fine dining. More like a step above Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill. But the wine selections were very good. Sorry to say that the food...

Il Gatto is the next best thing. The fresh Italian food is as authentic as ever and the service was excellent. The ambiance set the tone and was warm and inviting. This place has only been open for a month, but it sure impressed my wife and I. Our server, Teresa was the absolute best making us feel right at home. Her knowledge of the menu and recommendations was exceptional. Her positivity was contagious.

I decided I would try the Cesar Salad for the app and it was amazing. Teresa said they make the croutons in house. YUM!!. I also had the caprese which tasted so FRESH!

For our main course, I had the Paccheri Polpette. The red sauce was amazing and the meatballs were cooked perfectly. It was the ultimate definition of comfort food. My wife had the Spaghetti Bolognese which she said was one of the best she’s had in a while.

Our dessert, we decided on a classic, The tiramisu. It was rich, creamy, and definitely a great finisher. I decided to get an espresso martini to finish with my tiramisu, and boy was it tasty. The bartenders really know what they’re doing. Teresa is one of the best servers we had in a while! Great job Il Gatto! Will be...