Chef Erik De Marchi will open his second Orange County restaurant, Oliver’s Trattoria, in Quail Hill Shopping Center, this fall. The Italian-born-and-trained chef moved to L.A. in 2002 to work with award-winning chef Gino Angelini. In 2018, De Marchi opened Oliver’s Osteria, in Laguna Beach, which has earned a spot on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list of eateries that offer exceptional value.
Tell us about your new restaurant.
Oliver’s Trattoria will be the sister of Oliver’s Osteria but a more modern take, with a focus on handmade pasta and pizza. It will be a larger space with patios, daily lunch, private-event spaces and a wood-fire pizza oven.
What is the cuisine?
Authentic cuisine from my hometown of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, focusing on handmade pasta and pizza in a more modern and fresh way.
Do you have a signature dish?
My signature has become my Tagliatelle alla Bolognese and my Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe, which is a traditional Roman dish. The Bolognese sauce cooks for hours and the Cacio e Pepe is a combination of high-end ingredients with a special technique to bring all the flavors together at the right time.
Why Quail Hill?
Many of my customers at Laguna Beach live in Irvine and Newport Beach, so I wanted a location close to those cities. Also, I own a home in Irvine and am raising my family here.
