Abruzzi - Arcata

Located in the basement of Jacoby's storehouse, Abruzzi (a region in central Italy is a large restaurant with visible kitchen and back kitchen. On a Thursday night, we were in for dinner, good service, cuisine, atmosphere, and novelty (restaurant in the basement , and we found it. We found Abruzzi to be a classy sit down Italian restaurant that would do very well in a more metropolitan setting. The fourth star is for the service. Our waiter was outstanding, personable, pleasant, and quite efficient. It was the best part of the meal. The building appears to be brick. The lighting is quite incandescent and yellow in color. The doors are old, the floor squeaky, and the staff young. The food was good, but neither of us pounded on the table over it, so no fifth star. For primi, we feasted on the linguine da Pescara fra diavolo (Fra Diavolo is the name given to a spicy sauce for pasta or seafood. Most versions are tomato-based and use chili peppers for spice, but the term is also used for sauces that include no tomato, or that use cayenne or other forms of pepper , which usually features prawns, calamari (but no calamari for us...we searched and searched and found NO CALAMARI!!! , clams, tomato, fresh oregano. For secondi, we enjoyed the kurobuta pork loin, served over a sauté of local wild mushrooms, greens, pancetta, cannelloni beans, and marsala cream. Anyway, in my opinion Abruzzi is most probably the class act in Arcata. I just wish they'd told us they were out of calamari...I would have ordered another pasta dish. Enjoy!

We were surprised by how much we enjoyed it here. Downstairs in a lovely arcade, it was reasonably quiet, had a lovely bar, open kitchen, decent seating and service, and the food was good. I found the portions to be average-to-large, and especially the sauces/dressings to be well developed. The potato soup was like a smooth, creamy, chunk-free chowder and delicious. The fish was fresh and excellently cooked. The salads were also very fresh and well thought out. Excellent cocktails.

Came in on a whim last night, July 8th, around 7pm. Despite how busy it seemed, we were able to be seated immediately. Our server, Ashley, helped us pick out a bottle of wine that fit both of our palettes. She was knowledgable and very kind. We started with the Cheese Board and the bread appetizers. The bread was unheated, and came with butter and an olive oil/balsamic vinegar plate. The Cheese Board was delicious! It came with fontina, gorgonzola, and double-cream brie cheeses, a truffled honey, candied walnuts, and about 6 crostini. The crostini were perfectly seasoned with salt and pepper, and tasted fresh. The cheeses were yummehhh. I wish there had been a few more crostini to match the amount of cheese. The plate is just right to share between two people. For our entrees, we chose the Pesto Linguini and the Eggplant Parmesan. The pesto tasted very fresh. I appreciate that all of the pasta is handmade upstairs by Pasta Luego. The Eggplant Parmesan came with two crispy, breaded eggplant pieces on a bed of marinara spaghetti. It was a huge portion! Both dishes came with a large pile of fresh parmesan on top, which I loved. We both practically licked our plates clean. Aaaand then we ordered dessert. We got the Dessert of the day: their Affogato Chocolate Paradiso with vanilla bean ice cream and sea salt. It is essentially a slice of their dense, thick, creamy chocolate paradiso cake topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and sea salt, and when Ashley brought it to the table, she poured a shot of espresso around and on top. My belly screamed, No! Stop! with every bite, but my taste buds encouraged me through. So gooood! Overall, Abruzzi offers a more elegant atmosphere than most restaurants in the Arcata area, complete with knowledgable, reliable service and tasty dishes.

I was hesitant to try Italian food in this area again.when we walked in the decor is a bit dated but the food was delicious! I had a 14 oz ribeye with mushroom risotto and asparagus. The steak was cooked a perfect med rare and the sides were a great compliment. The bread was fresh and the tomato basil soup was great. Chicken saltimbocca with linguini was also delicious. The service was fantastic. I wish we came here first when we were looking for Italian cuisine in Arcata.

For the wait, this place is not really worth it. I understand that italian restaurants usually take longer than most, but this place was not attentive enough to their customer. I came in looking for a specific restaurant that wasn't this place. The worker at the front desk suggested to give them a try and that the food was amazing. Thus, I gave it a shot. When they took my order, they asked if I wanted bread and I said yes. After a good 50 minutes, my food came in and they asked if I needed anything else, and I told them I could use that bread they offer in the beginning. Still took a while for them, and the bread wasn't even worth. However, despite all the gimmicks, the pasta was decent. Nothing too note worthy of the dish. I think the fact that I was hungry coming in and them taking forever made me loose my appetite and I was unable to enjoy the meal.