Tuscany in Irvine

Took a mini road trip up to the OC with the besties. They had to see a man about a car. We used the GPS in their new vehicle to find a dinner spot. The Thai place we originally wanted to try was closed, but next door was a little restaurant called Tuscany Mediterranee Grill. It's located in a business complex, and not the place I would expect to find a cute little sit down restaurant.
The atmosphere is sort of.. what you would expect to see in a business complex, a restaurant trying hard to look like an Italian restaurant. It's washed in rustic tones, there are paintings of garden scenes on the walls, and our table had a fantastic view of the large flat screen tv that played Andrea Bocelli Live in Tuscany.
The food was delicious, though. They give you the standard crusty bread with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar to start. The host/owner? let us know that all their ingredients are fresh and the vegetables are organic. The special of the day was fresh Alaskan salmon (packed in ice and styrofoam, not frozen as the host/owner made very clear). It was served with penne and organic vegetables. Seester got the special. Aaron got the surf and turf which was the salmon plus filet mignon and champagne risotto, which had chicken, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and a champagne cream sauce. Trav got shrimp filled ravioli in a garlic cream sauce. I got seafood fettuccine with shrimp, mussels, scallops, calamari, and fish in a marinara sauce. The garlicky aroma of the sauce was intoxicating.
After the meal, we were each given a little shot glass sized cup of hot tea. Each glass charmingly a little different than the others. The flavor was new to me, but seemed familiar at the same time. Lastly we were given a little plate of Ferrero Rocher chocolate balls. All were complimentary and a nice way to finish a meal.
Overall, we all enjoyed our meals. The prices were reasonable (except we all thought the specials were a little overpriced.) I love it when you discover a nice little spot when you're not expecting it.


Tuscany Grill 2010 Main St.Irvine, CA 92614