FRESH
FARE:
Onesto – Fresh, Eco-Friendly Italian Cuisine With A
Smile!
By Heidi Schoen, Healthy Planet Green Living Editor
Located in the heart of SOHA - South Hampton - neighborhood
is a gem of a restaurant - Onesto Pizza & Trattoria.
Complete with a fire pit gathering space out front and rustic
Italian décor on the inside – Onesto feels
upscale and comfortable – a perfect place to relax
and meet friends or enjoy a family meal. In fact, the menu
offers pasta and salad in single entrée and family
size servings. On a recent winter day people were braving
the rain to come for lunch at Onesto. They were greeted
with smiles and a handshake from Vito Racanelli, Jr. who
came out of his kitchen to talk to the returning visitors.
One such hungry customer, Roy Reichold, took a break from
enjoying his Pesto in the House pizza and shared he had
recently traveled to Italy and the pizza at Onesto mirrored
the authentic taste he experienced during his visit abroad.
Onesto is not just a pizza place it is much more. Chef Vito
is Commander-in- Chief in the kitchen and he is rightly
proud of his menu where he takes great joy to serve fresh
food in season and works with local farmers and food producers.
An upcoming Asparagus Festival in April makes him smile
as he describes working with a local farmer to purchase
an allotment of the early spring yield. Michele Racanelli,
Vito’s wife, wears a lot of hats making this family
business run smoothly including an off-site catering service.
Recently, she applied for Onesto to become a Certified Green
restaurant which should be a snap because they are doing
so many green things for example: no styrofoam use, non-smoking
establishment, pizza dough made with organic flour - the
list goes on. The menu itself offers fresh salads, calzones,
pizza, and pasta dishes. The house salad is a new twist
on an old favorite Italian model with fresh parmesan cheese,
roasted red peppers and roasted garlic-basil dressing. What’s
not on the menu, the specials, are equally impressive. Try
the knock your socks off Seafood Stufato: gulf shrimp, fire
roasted tomatoes, Atlantic Cod, Monk Fish and kalamata olives
over winter root vegetables. Another delicious special is
made with organic spinach fettuccini, organic lamb shank,
wild mushrooms and asiago cheese. There are vegetarian options
throughout the menu but Vito is not shy to use his freshly
smoked meats that he cures on site. At Onesto Pizza &
Trattoria they offer fresh, exceptionally tasty seasonal
fare with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Visit them soon
for a great meal and check out the menus online at www.onestopizza.com.
For catering information go to www.vcateringandevents.com.
