The Gossiping Gourmet: This Italian restaurant would make Puck proud

I love to find small new shopping center restaurants that serve really good food. My latest discovery is Ceppo in Huntington Beach.

This modest little restaurant has a world-class chef, Tomi Harase, who started his cooking career in his hometown of Gifu, Japan. He was only a high school student when he got his first job. He loved cooking and decided to become a chef, so he bravely went to Tokyo and was hired at a famous French restaurant there.

The owner eventually sent him to Paris to study French cuisine at the very famous 300-year-old restaurant Le Grand Vefour. Three years after that, he was summoned to Los Angeles by Wolfgang Puck to work at Spago.

Later, he was one of the chefs at Puck’s Chinoise and eventually opened his own restaurant, Café Blanc, which was in the forefront of Pacific Rim cuisine.

His next move was to open a bakery in Costa Mesa, because he loved sweets and pastries, and now his latest venture is Ceppo, which features Italian food.

The space is rather small and the décor is modest but quite pleasant. The staff is very friendly and the food is very good.

I ordered the insalata di polpo and was surprised to see that it was prettily presented in a martini glass. It was lovely and hinted at the expertise of the chef.

The octopus was served with little chunks of grapefruit, fresh tomatoes and cucumber, all moistened with balsamic vinaigrette. The dish was quite delicious, with some tart notes from the grapefruit, a sweet taste from the tomatoes and crunch from the cucumber. The chewiness of the octopus was the only thing that kept this from being a perfect dish.

My dining companion enjoyed the funghi marinati, which consisted of assorted sautéed mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in olive oil and garlic, resting on mixed lettuce. It was simple, clean and delicious.

His main course was a wonderful pork loin (fettine di maiale inpanate) that was beautifully presented. The very plump pork cutlet was breaded and stuffed with prosciutto, arugula and pine nuts, then topped with a delicate lemon sauce. The breading was light but really crispy and finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. It came with some perfectly cooked, very fresh vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and squash. Creamy, smooth mashed potatoes completed the dish.

I think that a classic pasta Bolognese is the true test of a good Italian chef, even if he is Japanese. Harase does a very nice one with perfect, thin al dente pasta and a meat ragu full of subtle undertones that lend a unique beefy flavor to the sauce.

Some other tempting items on the menu include linguini pescatori with shrimp, calamari, clams, black mussels and a tomato wine sauce. For meat lovers, a bistecca all’ aglio offers a ribeye brushed with garlic and olive oil and served with aged balsamic and a special pesto mustard. The restaurant also has daily specials.

We were delighted, although not surprised, by the wonderful tiramisu. It was one of the best we had ever tasted. Often, this desert sits around in the refrigerator growing soggy. Not so here. It was as light as air with a delicately browned exterior covering a wonderful, whipped mascarpone cheese with just the right amount of sweetness. Fresh fruit surrounded the plate.

Cheesecake came in a long strip topped with fresh fruits. It was pleasant but lacked the depth of flavor in a really dense New York-style cheesecake.

I had read that the restaurant also features Italian-Asian fusion cuisine, but none was on the menu. I would love to taste some of Harase’s creations. He is clearly a wonderful chef. I would also like to mention that this high-quality food comes at a very reasonable price.

TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.

Ceppo

Where: 7391 Warner Ave., Suite G, Huntington Beach

When: 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Prices:

Appetizers: $4.50 to $8.95

Entrées: $11.95 to $23

Desserts: $5 to $6

Wine:

Bottles: $16 to $23

By the glass: $5 to $6

Corkage fee: $10

Information: (714) 375-6145 or ceppohb.com