Italian Colors Ristorante

Many Italian restaurants specialize in cuisine that’s passed down from the motherland, but Italian Colors in Oakland’s Montclair District is not one of them. Here, you’ll find variety on the menu, with both traditional Italian fare and northern California-inspired dishes showcasing chef/owner Alan Carlson’s culinary panache.

“There’s too much good food here in northern California,” Carlson says. “Too many Italian restaurants are pigeonholed by one area of Italy. We have our own little Italy here at Italian Colors.”

As owner/operator Steve Montgomery greets a steady stream of regulars, the rustic dining room fills with families, couples, and diners of every age and you begin to feel that a world of its own does in fact exist here – where a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere inspires you to enjoy your meal to the fullest. Fabrics hanging above the spacious outdoor patio and indoor dining room evoke a relaxing, buoyant mood, live guitar music woos you with simple, classical melodies, and the flavors of creatively prepared, fresh and local ingredients make you want to return to this one-of-a-kind little Italy again and again.

Italian Colors’ Gnocchi Bolognese is easily one of the best gnocchi dishes you will ever encounter. The tender gnocchi is made in-house, with the satisfying flavors of slow braised beef, pork, porcini mushrooms, onions, herbs, carrots, and tomato offering what will likely become your new favorite comfort food. Let’s just hope that this seasonal entrée makes it onto the restaurant’s permanent menu.

Smoked applewood ribs with organic wheat mac-n-cheese and coleslaw showcases the balance between Italian tradition and northern California sensibilities. The ribs are brined for 24 hours and smoked for eight. “I spend four days preparing these ribs and they’re gone in a day,” Carlson says.

If you’ve never tried abalone, Italian Colors’ Fresh Red Abalone appetizer in a white wine, caper butter sauce is an excellent place to start. One of the few red abalone dishes served in the area, this offering is nicely paired with house-made, lemon ricotta ravioli, and the sharpness of the cheese complements the abalone’s mild bitter taste. Also new to the spring menu is the Dungeness Crab Antipasti in a chili lime vinaigrette, with a light, refreshing tang and the colors of papaya, avocado, cucumber, red bell paper, scallions, and mixed greens blending together beautifully.

Specials at Italian Colors vary nightly, with entrees changing two to three times per season. (Get the Warm Chocolate Gooey Cake for dessert while you can.) Loyal customers have come to expect their favorites, and the restaurant does its best to cater to them, keeping time-tested choices on the menu indefinitely – one of many reasons Italian Colors is still going strong after 17 years.

- by Renee M. Rutledge, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Renee M. Rutledge

Renee M. Rutledge currently writes articles on local travel and culture for Red Tricycle, Parents' Press, Oakland Magazine, and Alameda Magazine.