Pasta Night at Centro Storico in Tustin

Centro Storico Spaghetteria 

405 El Camino Real

Tustin, CA 92780

I love when the calendar page flips and it starts off a new year. It's not only the promise of what a new year brings, but the end of the year also means that there are plenty of best-of lists that get published for the previous year. I love reading lists, especially when they pertain to restaurants. These lists are not only easy to read, but they are where I get a majority of my inspiration to try a restaurant. 

One of my favorite OC-based food writers is Anne Marie Panoringan, who writes for the Voice of OC. At the end of the year, she wrote an article about the restaurants that were new to her, ones that she felt were worth a visit. I took note of the first one on her list, enlisted my parents to join us, and headed to Centro Storico in Old Town Tustin.  

I had been to this location back when this was Quinn's Old Town Grill eight years ago. It's definitely unrecognizable from back then. It's got an Italian farmhouse vibe coming in hot, with exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, reclaimed wood dividers hanging around the space sectioning off the dining area, and as if that was not enough farmhouse flair for you, a 1936 John Deere tractor is perched at table height in the back corner of the restaurant. 

This restaurant is run by the Pozzuoli family, wo first opened the attached tiny Storico Cafe serving gelato, pastries, a small offering of brunch and lunch offerings, and espresso and other beverages. The cafe is open all day, while the spaghetteria is open for lunch from 11:30 til 2 and then reopens from 5pm to 9 for dinner service. Make note that they are closed on Mondays. 

The menu here is of course pasta focused, but there is plenty to choose from in other sections of the menu. Starters, salads, main dishes, and sides are well represented at Centro Storico and showcase the Tuscan feel that they are going for. The house-made fresh pasta is made on the premises and is what you will see on almost every table when you visit. Pasta options come in full or half sizes for lighter eaters. There are 14 kinds to choose from, which was way more challenging for me to pick from than trying to solve my daily Wordle. 

Salads at Centro Storico, like their pasta dishes, also come in full and half sizes, so both Katie and I took advantage of this to try them. She selected the very popular Chopped Salad ($11 plus an extra $2.50 for adding salami). Romaine, radicchio, red onion, Ceci beans, tomato, and plenty of shaved parmesan made up this salad that gets plenty of raves from online reviewers, and after a few bites even more raves from Katie. 

I went with my old faithful when it comes to salads, the Caesar ($10). This version at Centro was pretty traditional in its presentation. Romaine lettuce, housemade croutons, shaved parmesan, a creamy Caesar dressing, and white anchovy were included in the bowl. They included the perfect amount of dressing, which burst with flavor. The lettuce was fresh, while the croutons added just enough crunch as to not be too intrusive. It's one of the better Caesar salads I have had in a while. 

We kind of went big with a trio of starters. First up was the Polenta and Ragu ($15). I'm by no means a polenta expert, but this cornmeal loaf was a nice vehicle for their really good and meaty ragu sauce. To be fair though, I think I could have eaten that ragu off of an old shoe and I would have liked it. I have a thing about trying meatballs in Italian restaurants, so we had to give their Polpette di Carne ($11) a try. These 4 ping pong ball-sized meatballs came with plenty of sauce and parmesan cheese topping them. I liked these a lot but found that the sauce and cheese kind of overpowered these tender orbs. My mom lamented the fact that bread service was not included with our meal, so we made her happy by getting this House Bread Board ($2). This was a bargain at two bucks, with plenty of freshly baked bread for the four of us. The oil and vinegar were also a nice touch. Well worth getting this. 

My mom has been on a real Arrabiata ($10 for the half portion) kick lately. This held true at Centro Storico on this evening as well. The penne pasta was bathed in a nicely done arrabbiata sauce, which had a kick to it, but did not kill my mom with too much heat. She loved that this half portion was just the right amount for her and her smaller appetite. 

Out of all the entrees on this evening, I think I enjoyed my dad's Gamberi e Prosciutto ($17 for the half portion) the best. This shrimp and prosciutto dish utilized pappardelle pasta with a delicious white wine, lite cream, and shallot concoction. Both my dad and I called this dish fantastic, and this will be my go-to order once I work my way through other menu items on future visits here. I will splurge for the full-sized portion for the extra $4 though. 

Even though I was partial to my dad's plate, I really did enjoy my Rape e Salsiccia ($19 for the full size). This one included one of my favorite kinds of pasta, orecchiette. These little cupped-sized shells are ideal because they kind of trap the sauce, which with this plate was a mixture of olive oil and anchovy. Add some very good sausage, broccoli, garlic, and heirloom tomatoes and you have another winning plate from Centro Storico. I liked the simplicity of this dish, as it was not relying on a lot of ingredients to make it taste so good. Very comforting and a close second to my dad's choice of meal.  

Last but not least was Katie's pick, the Ragu di Carne ($19 for the full size). This classic dish combined San Marzano tomatoes with pork, beef, veal, carrots, garlic, celery, and red onion to make the savory sauce that went over the fettuccine. After a few bites of this, it made me wish that I'd grown up with an Italian grandmother who would make a Sunday sauce just like this. Katie enjoyed this but prefers a sauce that's a bit more hearty. This one in her opinion had a tad too much tomato, which placed this more on the sweeter side, rather than the savory sauces she's had at other places.

My mom had her heart set on having the chocolate truffle she saw on their online dessert menu, but unfortunately, they were out of it when we visited. We decided to have the Bomba ($7.50) in lieu of the truffle. This bomba was filled with vanilla and chocolate gelato and then covered in a chocolate shell. Kind of like the Magic Shell that we all loved as kids, but with better chocolate. This was a nice end to our meal, but we will definitely try the truffle the next time we visit.  

My OC food-loving friend, Anne Marie nailed it with her recommendation of Centro Storico. This was some of the best pasta we have had in OC for quite some time. Nothing beats fresh pasta, and then you add great sauces and it just makes even the worst day way better. On return visits I look forward to trying one of their more substantial meals, like their pork chop, grilled sausages, or steak, and pairing it with a half sized pasta, or with my willpower not being the best, probably a full sized bowl of pasta. Brad Johnson, Restaurant Coloumnist for the OC Register called this the best Italian in Tustin, which is high praise since there are so many options in this central OC city, and I'd have to agree based on this first visit. Service was very good, and even though my dad felt the price point was a bit high, I'd gladly pay a little extra for fresh, quality pasta such as this. We will be back. 

Out of five carriages, (because the city of Tustiin is named after Colombus Tustin, who was a carriage maker by trade), five being best to zero being worst, Centro Storico Spaghetteria gets 3.5 carriages. 

For more information about Centro Storico Spaghetteria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.storicotustin.com/