A welcome spot at Sebastiani’s

DINING OUT

Tucked deep in the corner of the Warnerdale Shopping Center is

Sebastiani’s Italian Bistro, the perfect place to collect yourself

between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Owned by Pablo

Benavente, it’s neighborly and warm with good home-style food you’d

find in the Italian part of any big city.

It’s small -- only 13 crispy-clothed tables with burgundy napkins,

no booths, and dominated by a clever mural of Adam and God toasting

each other with wine.

You can’t go wrong with the lunch special of pasta, salad and

coffee ($5.99), a price that feels good to your skinny holiday

wallet. On the day we were there, it was six mushroom-filled ravioli

in a tart tomato sauce, but first came an excellent Caesar salad and

basket of homemade bread with a small bowl of zesty marinara-like

dipping sauce.

The ravioli were filled with a mix of creamy ricotta cheese and

fresh mushrooms in a shallow bowl sprinkled with cheese freshly

grated by Benavente’s sister, Erika, a Sophia Loren look-alike.

Benavente has said that presentation and freshness are important to

him, but on this occasion I found the ravioli not hot enough,

especially since they were served on a cold plate.

This was also true of the rigatoni ($7) my friend had. The

generous serving of short, ridged pasta tubes and chicken pieces in a

ground meat tomato sauce was cool around the edge of the plate and

just warm in the center. Cook Israel Salazar should be more aware, as

good taste is lost when not served at the proper temperature.

Spumoni ($4.50), homemade like everything else here, is really

good with a crumbled cookie crust vanilla, strawberry and green

pistachio ice cream topped with glazed fruit and nut mix. It’s a

slice big enough to share and very festive scrolled with chocolate

syrup.

Owner Benavente is planning a special New Year’s Eve dinner, like

a family party, Erika says, with fairy lights aglow in the

lattice-like ceiling and candles lighted on all the tables, a place

to welcome 2003 with good food and good friends.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected].