Normally, driving a bit to visit a restaurant might be a deterrent. But in the case of Paolo’s Ristorante in the Highlands, it’s worth the trip. Two miles up Palisades Drive, the new Italian restaurant is nestled in a cozy corner of the Palisades Highlands Village complex in the former Hidden Caf’ location. ’It’s a slice of Tuscany,’ said the restaurant’s namesake, Paolo Marrazzi, who co-owns the establishment with chef Gerardo Ballesteros. Once you sit down within the restaurant’s spacious oak room, or on the terrace, you are transported to Italy, or, at the very least, a world away from the bustling Palisades village. Long before your pane ed olio arrives, the relaxing ambiance sets in, soft music wafting in the air from some far-off corner, and you know you’re in for a quiet, distraction-free meal. A big bulb of mozzarella perched atop four large slices of tomato; a generous heap of savory breaded calamari with marinara sauce; shredded pieces of duck over wide noodles. Course after course arrives, each one supplanting the prior in flavor and presentation. Ice cream aside, the desserts are homemade. The tiramis’ arrives looking like a small cabin of savoiardi (Italian-style ladyfingers) built upon zigzags of raspberry sauce’a sweet accompaniment with your formidable double espresso. On a Wednesday afternoon, Marrazzi, 41, told the Palisadian-Post how his business came to be. A gregarious Italian with wire frames and silver hair to his shoulders, he grew up in Piacenza, a town 40 miles south of Milan. This son of an umbrella salesman figured out early that he wanted to be in the hospitality business. He was not even 16 years old when he picked his trade ‘to avoid college.’ For six years, he worked as a waiter on the touristy island of Guernsey, in the English Channel, off the coast of Normandy. After a few years in London, he became a waiter for Princess Cruises. In true ‘Love Boat’ fashion, he fell in love with a passenger’Malibu teacher Nancy Levy’and, in 1991, married her. Today they share a Malibu home with their daughter Carina, 7, and son Nico, 2. Marrazzi met Ballesteros while working at the West Hollywood celebrity hub Ago. The chef, a soft-spoken native of Guerrero, Mexico, has been in the restaurant business since the age of 14, working for Toscana, Madeo, and several other popular eateries. In fact, Ballesteros has worked in so many Italian restaurants that he speaks fluent Italian. Last year, while working for a few months in a managerial capacity at Beech Street Caf’ on Swarthmore, Marrazzi heard that the Highlands location was available. He fell for the place immediately. ‘You get away from it up here,’ he said. ‘The air is very clean, and we have a beautiful view.’ Signing a lease in March, he enjoyed a soft Memorial Day weekend opening after converting what used to be the coffeehouse counter into a wine bar featuring mostly Italian and California wines. In creating the menu, the owners have culled the best dishes of all regions. ’It’s quite different from the other [Italian] places,’ Ballesteros said. ‘Those places are more Italian-American. We are more Italian. Our food is lighter, less sauces, as healthy as possible.’ His dishes utilize organic ingredients, including fresh-range eggs, Scottish organic chicken, mixed baby greens. The menu ranges from $12.95 (Capellini Ortolana) to $29.95 (Costata di Manzo), with pasta dishes averaging about $16 and secondi (chicken, steak, seafood) hovering in the $24 range. On the breakfast front, the omelettes average $11.95 while waffles, pancakes and French toast span $6.95-$9.95. There’s a center-cut 22-ounce T-bone (Bistecca alla Florentina, market value), Mediterranean sea bass (market value), and a kids’ menu, which includes spaghetti con polpette di carne, $7.95) and pepperoni pizza ($7.95). Nor does the versatile chef mind going off menu to accommodate special requests. Pasta with chicken, for example, is a big request. Marrazzi said he partnered with erstwhile Ago chef Ballesteros so that he could have someone to cover him while he worked less. In his language, that means he works a mere six days a week, like the rest of us. ’With the restaurant business, you’re practically married to it,’ he said. Paolo’s Ristorante, 1515 Palisades Drive. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call 310 454-8889. Ample free parking.
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