Aruffo's

Aruffo's Restaurant Review:

A neighborhood favorite for more than 30 years, Aruffo’s offers heavy cream-sauced dishes in a slightly dated dining room of brick veneer and vintage Campari and limoncello posters. Baskets of warmed bread topped with red pepper make for a good start to a hearty meal. Antipasti include a classic plate of fried calamari, and individual pizzettes with toppings like Italian sausage, pesto, olives and wild mushrooms. Among pastas, you’ll find the usual suspects: lasagna, carbonara and Alfredo. More intriguing is spinach and egg tortellini baked with sweet peas, prosciutto and Parmesan. There's also a bevy of generous seafood dishes, such as capensis fish from the Amalfi coast with limoncello cream, mussels over linguine, and grilled salmon with an orange-dill sauce. Desserts made daily and displayed on a cart tableside include tiramisu, seasonal sorbettos and chocolate crème brûlée. A long wine list has a balanced selection of California and Italian options. Aruffo’s is one of the preferred spots for college students entertaining visiting parents and for locals dining after a movie in Claremont Village, which now offers many more options than when this still reliable classic first opened its doors.