Cantinetta Luca bustles with culinary activity. The passion of executive chef and partner Jason Balestrieri’s passion is apparent in every detail. All of Cantinetta Luca’s pasta, bread, sauces, dressings and marinades are made in-house everyday using authentic, imported Italian goods and fresh, locally-sourced produce.
Growing up in the Midwest, Balestrieri was immersed in his family’s Italian culinary traditions. After receiving his Culinary Arts degree from the Milwaukee Area Technical College, he moved from a neighborhood café to a reputable hotel where he trained as line cook and pantry cook. In 1993, Balestrieri relocated to southern California to work at Pinot Bistro under chef and founder Joachim Splichal and executive chef Octavio Beccara. He advanced through the ranks at Twin Palms in Pasadena, under chef and owner Michael Roberts, before landing as executive chef at the Twin Palms in Valencia.
Through his association with Splichal, Balestrieri moved through the kitchens of Patina, Café Pinot, and Pinot Hollywood before taking complete responsibility for all kitchen operations at the 250-seat Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse. During his time with Splichal, Balestrieri met David Fink, Splichal’s close friend and owner of Cantinetta Luca and L’Auberge Carmel. In 2006 Fink hired him as executive chef at Cantinetta Luca. Two years later, Balestrieri became a partner in the restaurant.
“I am fond of the menu as a whole because of the products I choose to serve,” he says.”From local organic produce, local fish, the best imported Italian dry goods to the midwestern beef and more. Cantinetta Luca has always put an emphasis on using the best ingredients and keeping it simple.”
From the trattoria’s open kitchen into which diners can peer and watch the chefs in action to neighboring Salumeria Luca, an Italian deli, bakery, and gourmet market, Balestrieri shares his Italian cultural heritage through his offerings. In a nod to that Italian philosophy about food—of keeping it simple—Balestrieri’s polpette (meatballs) antipasti recipe came to America with his grandfather via Ellis Island from small village outside of Palermo, Sicily.
“The housecured Culatello (when available) is something that I am proud of because it is known as the ‘King of Salumi” in Italy and is not legal to bring to the USA. I have had success making it here and am honored to offer it,” he says.
Another point of pride: For the past year or so, during dinner service, Cantinetta Luca has morphed into what could be described as an Italian steakhouse. Balestrieri asserts, “There only a couple of restaurants in the area that could be considered a steakhouse, and I will put our steaks against any in the area.” He’s particularly fond of the housecut Bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a large Porterhouse or T-Bone, steak that typically weighs at least a kilogram, approximately 33 ounces. About the preparation, Balestrieri describes, “I cut them in-house on the band saw, trim and weigh each one, and sell them by the ounce on the menu. Since every animal is a different size, the weights will vary from each shortloin I cut.” That variance is also why he charges by the ounce. Currently, the Porterhouse runs $2.60 per ounce. “Not many restaurants cut their own steaks on the bone. It’s pretty unique,” he says.
When Bistecca alla Fiorentina is ordered, the steaks are simply seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and grilled. While on the grill, they are lightly brushed with balsamic vinegar to give them a smoky, sweet element. The steak is allowed to rest after grilling. When the order is ready to serve, they carve the meat off the bone, slice it, and put it back together in a black oval skillet. It is seasoned again with sea salt, black pepper and drizzled with a Tuscan olive oil. It is, then, finished in the wood-burning oven before serving.
The wood-burning oven adds function as well as ambiance to the 93-seat restaurant with its mix of antique and modern elements. Cantinetta Luca’s interior design is a blend of brick, stone, glass, and chiseled wood, punctuated with rich Mediterranean colors. The wine room is a perfect setting for semi-private special events, featuring a barrel-vaulted brick ceiling with exposed, rough-hewn beams. From the dining room, diners can glimpse Balestrieri’s salumi in the works in the glass-encased cured meat-aging room.
Next door at Salumeria Luca, the retail arm of Cantinetta Luca, Balestrieri’s housemade items are popular with beach-goers for a picnic lunch or as ingredients for home cooks. You can find breads, pizza, pasta, sauces, pastries, and gelato that are made fresh daily. The deli features made-to-order sandwiches and grilled panini. Both Salumeria Luca and Cantinetta Luca offer a wide range of wine choices as well. You can locate hard to find bottles as well as reasonably priced wines. At Cantinetta Luca and Salumeria Luca, Chef Balestrieri provides a little piece of Italy in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea.
About the author
Camilla M. Mann has crammed a lot of different jobs into four decades: florist, waitress, SCUBA divemaster, stock photo agency manager, stroller fitness teacher, writer, editor, and au pair. But, if she had to distill who she is today – tree-hugging, veggie-crunching, jewelry-designing mean mommy who loves to cook but hates to clean. Thankfully her husband and their boys clean like champs. Her current culinary goal: grow conscientious, creative kids with fearless palates! She blogs at culinary-adventures-with-cam.blogspot.com
