ThE MAgiC RECiPE

Talk about filling a niche: if you’re in the market for a beautiful, chic restaurant and a delicious menu at incredible prices, the new Presto Pasta on De La Vina hits the spot.

After discovering that there were no restaurants in town to offer his young family honest Italian food at family-friendly prices, Albert Baltieri nodded adieu to his fine dining legacy (he founded Baltieri’s and Aldo’s downtown) and opened Presto Pasta, a ‘faster food’ Italian establishment. This was 20 years ago when Baltieri founded Presto Pasta on East Montecito Street.

Flash forward to 2012 and the brand new Presto Pasta on De La Vina is a sight to be seen, let alone dined in. The beautiful interior designed by the local and top-notch Design Arch is modern, chic, yet comfortable. Everything from the breathtaking 16-foot black walnut slab table to the glass-blown pin spot lighting and trendy chalkboard menus behind the counter pepper a savory dining experience. And that’s even before the food.

Honoring age-old recipes passed down from his grandmother, Baltieri holds “you are what you eat” and so consistently creates his dishes with the most top-quality and freshest ingredients available. Tomatoes from Stanislavs (the best in the US and Europe, according to Baltieri) and a 6-cheese blend from Galbani’s of Italy define his food and infuse it with an authenticity both surprising and well earned.

“When I was younger I didn’t put much stock in the name Baltieiri because I was a kid, but now I have people coming up to me saying, (continued) we’ve been looking for you for years and we finally found you!‘”

But don’t expect everything to be the same ol’ same -- Baltieri is now whipping up gourmet pizzas in the state-of-the-art oven he searched the world over for (literally) and joined forces with his wife, Pamela Regan, to dream up the most delectable pizzas imaginable. And that they did -- starting with the specialty Parmesan cheese, red onion, pistachio, and rosemary pizza. It pairs beautifully with the imported Italian wines that other fine dining restaurants in town market for 4 times the price of that at Presto Pasta.

One thing’s for sure: it’s the place to be, especially since the original Presto Pasta on East Montecito is now closing after 20 years so that Baltieri can be at the new hot hub everyday to ensure his high standard of both quality and service. Get ready to ignite your appetite, Santa Barbara; this place has it right on the money! —Brandi

Wolff

Presto Pasta is located at 2830 De La Vina. 805-845-6937. Serving lunch and dinner Mon-Thu

11am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am10pm, Sun 11am-9pm