Restaurant of the Year Antonello Ristorante Is a 22-Year OC Institution
Much of what has become the history of Orange County has unfolded at tables in this restaurant. When Antonio Cagnolo opened it in 1979 in South Coast Plaza Village, it became the immediate hangout of the rich and powerful who were shaping the future for all of us. Stalwart power brokers,from politicians, who really were respected and carried some clout in those days, to the CEOs of the major companies,were shaping and signing their deals at the tables at Antonello, albeit always on the corner of the table as some glamorous and tasty dish of haute Italian food was likely sitting in front of them. Foreign dignitaries, US presidents, literati and movie stars also converged at Antonello during their OC stays.
Today, the restaurant looks as warm and gracious and utterly gorgeous as it did 22 years ago. Nothing much has changed, except that the food has gotten better than ever and now a full cross-section of diners who know and appreciate the best in worldly food and fine wine can always be found in residence. The beautiful and the powerful still gather, but the restaurant’s engaging demeanor has now embraced all of us. Just as the attire on the world stage has become more casual in the past two decades, so has our notion that we have to dress to the nines to fit into the psyche of a place like Antonello. With the business acumen OC has come to represent and the economy that it generates, casual chic attire has come right along with it. And that ensures that everyone is comfortable at Antonio’s tables. Fashioned after the beautiful surroundings of a major piazza in the town of Bistagna, where Antonio was born and raised, Antonello exudes the feeling of walking the narrow streets and being completely engulfed in the charm and grace of the small villages with pedigrees reaching back many centuries. To this day, I marvel at the feelings that stir inside me when I am dining here. For anyone who has visited Italy, the memories come flooding back.
Antonio himself always has looked as though he were the style master of OC, perfectly dressed in silk and wool suits and displaying a sartorial splendor above and beyond the norm of owners, managers and greeters in the restaurant industry. Perhaps it is his Italian upbringing that ingrained his natural sense of style. But that is not the all-important factor here. What is widely known by some, totally unknown to many, is the dedication to community and raising funds that Antonio has shown over the years. Many of the gala events for charities continue to take place here and Antonio unfailingly shows his compassionate side. A restaurant can be judged in part by the loyalty of staff. They don’t stay for the duration if it’s not a good place to work, a place where they are encouraged to succeed and be happy. Most of the staff has been on hand for untold years and it is no secret that Antonio takes great pleasure in providing an atmosphere of appreciation that is nurturing. That familial feeling just naturally gets passed along to the customer. And, there’s Franco Barone, the chef, cooking from the soul. More appealing plates of food you will not find. And the tastes are so representative of what Italy is offering its sophisticated diners today. Franco describes a few of his menu favorites in the chefs’ section of this report that begins on page 25, but there’s a vast menu of Northern Italian dishes that are yours to discover. It’s no accident that our friends often join us just so we can get our Antonello “fix” again.
I speak from my soul when conveying to Antonio my profound appreciation for everything he and his restaurant represent to this county, and indeed to the national stage of fine dining. Antonello is my choice for Restaurant of the Year for 2000, but it really has deserved that title many times over the past 22 years.
