Antonello Debuts New Menu Featuring Lighter, Organic Dishes

One of Orange County’s most venerable restaurants is debuting a new menu featuring items that boast high flavor profiles, more organic ingredients and a an overall lighter approach to preparing them. Salvatore Ferrara and Gino Buonanoce, co-executive chefs of Antonello Ristorante at South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana, have retooled the long-standing lunch and dinner menus of Italian fare to offer today’s guests what they are looking for.
“Antonello has earned a loyal base of customers who have come to expect the traditional fare that has made the restaurant a favorite dining destination for 3 decades,” said Ferrara. “Gino and I respect tradition, but thought it was time to broaden the menu to introduce a great number of items that resonate with today’s diner.”
Added Buonanoce, “We’re excited that management has given us great latitude in retooling the menu. Our emphasis is going back to basics with an emphasis on simple dishes with extraordinary quality ingredients. We’re delighted that our guests have responded so positively to the changes.”
Among the new items are a grilled boneless free-range chicken marinated in fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar; medallions of beef topped with organic extra virgin olive oil, shallots, Porcini mushrooms and san Marzana tomatoes; Orecchiette pasta sautéed with Pugliese sausage, Swiss chard ad topped with Pecorino Romano; and Cavatelli topped in a slowly cooked lamb ragu.

Ferrara is a graduate of the prestigious California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. His experience includes stints at Orange County restaurants, Lodge and Red Pearl. He was recently promoted to executive chef at Antonello. Co-Chef Buonanoce attended culinary school in his hometown of Bari near Puglia and eventually landed a position at Parma Ristorante in New York. He worked at several well known restaurants in Italy and the U.S. before accepting his current position at Antonello.
Highly rated in the noted Zagat Guide for several years, Antonello Ristorante has earned a sterling reputation for having served luminaries the world over including presidents, foreign dignitaries, movie stars, entertainers, industrialists and other leaders. Proprietor Antonio Cagnolo is a multiple winner of the Golden Scepter Award and Circle of Fame Awards, two of the most prestigious honors a restaurateur can receive. In addition, his devotion and time-honored commitment to charitable concerns have been recognized numerous times.
Antonello Ristorante is located at 3800 Plaza Drive, at South Coast Plaza Village. Call (714) 751-7153 for reservations and visit www.antonello.com for more information.

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