Adam B.
Yelp
On Yelp, its hard to rate a restaurant with 3 stars because this looks like a bad review, when, in actuality, 3 stars is average ... nothing amazing ... but nothing terrible. That is what this restaurant was. Average. 2 diners did not like their meal (chicken parmigano, lemoncello chicken), 1 thought it was okay (fettuccine bolognese) and 1 liked their meal (eggplant parmigiano).
This is a crowded Laguna spot full of tourists and locals. While most other restaurants we wanted to go in Laguna this night were completely booked (Nick's, Oak) there were plenty of open reservations at Alessa. They have an outdoor tent whose ambiance felt like a graduation party in someone's back yard ... a porch area with space heaters above ... and a charming brick interior main space with a long bar. We sat in the porch area as the main dining room had no openings.
The chicken dishes were not up to snuff. The Limoncello Chicken was chewy and rubbery. The chicken parmigano was equally rubbery. The outer layer seemed to be a thicker panko breadcrumb and the cutlet seemed to be too thick ... having grew up in an Italian household, the secret to tender chicken cutlets is pounding them thinner. It takes time but makes them much more tender.
The fettuccine bolognese was received as an above average dish. It seemed the pasta was homemade and not dried, although its a shame to overcook homemade pasta, which really shouod be cooked al dente. The sauce had a good flavor. Whomever made this dish knew what they were doing from a sauce standpoint. The standout dish was the eggplant parmigiano ... the eggplant was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Just enough cheese and sauce without being soggy. The side caesar salad on the same dish was a bit odd from a presentation standpoint, hot and cold on the same dish, but preferred to the chicken parmigiano, which came with blah pene pasta.
The best thing I can say about this restaurant ... although the main components of the dishes (chicken, pasta, etc.) seemed to fail us, the sauces were fairly flavorful and well done. Maybe the tomato-based sauces were a tad on the sweet/sugary side for our liking (mildly acidic San Marzano tomatoes these were not) ... but from the olive oil and herb dipping plate to the bolognese sauce, the chef did the best job at creating the sauces.
We were going to have dessert but there was a table next to us who was out of control. Singing songs together at high volumes, screaming the F-word every other word. We gave them some stares, which only seemed to make them more obnoxious. I really feel that the server should have stepped in and asked them to settle down a bit. We overheard the couple at the table next to us lament them and they got their dessert to go. The other table also rolled their eyes a few times and looked like they rushed through their meal. Not the restaurant's fault these diners were trashy but the waiter should have said something.
Overall, it was an average meal ... for the price, it should have been better. While I wouldn't return, our group is very picky about Italian food. I honestly was not expecting to find Dan Tana's quality Italian food in Laguna Beach ... there was nothing really terrible about the meal, so please note this isn't a BAD review. It's an average review. If you are in a pinch while visiting Laguna and reservations are hard to find, you could do worse than this spot, for sure. It seems to be a local spot that has been around forever, so they must be doing something right for the right folks.
