Pasquini’s Fine Italian Food,
the enduring dinner house in Live Oak, doesn’t promote communal
dining. It just happens. Small square tables for two and larger
round and rectangular seating options for families and friends
are spread across several rooms and in tight proximity. It’s a
good thing.
A family from Chico at the next table may share their practice of
leaving home early and dining en route to departing flights from
Sacramento International Airport. A jovial couple might
unsolicitedly detail their experiences working in the restaurant
30 years ago and how relatives once ran the place.
It’s as if customers — generations of regulars to passersby who
take a break a few feet away from weary travel on Highway 99 —
are all about to become connected, even if they never meet.
Italian family cooking — traditions including sauces with
undisclosed recipes — is what the restaurant does best. What’s
shared among guests six nights a week is an appreciation for
dinner entrees of spaghetti all’aglio e olio, calamari limonata
or a ribeye steak that dominates a dinner plate with just enough
room for a small hill of mashed potatoes.
Brick-seared chicken, shrimp scampi and lamb chops are staples,
as are at least six daily pasta entrees, including favorite
tagliatelle Bolognese. The handmade pasta is tossed in a veal,
pork and beef sauce that defies what easily could be a heavy,
thick mess. Instead, it’s rich but simultaneously light.
Accompanying vegetable side dishes are cultivated from the
restaurant’s gardens.
Starters include crab cakes, calamari and steamed clams, and
harvest, caesar and wedge salads. There’s also a rotation of
specialty salads and starters including minestra di farro soup, a
tradition in Lucca, Italy, made with cranberry beans, farro and
rosemary. The strawberry salad combines spring mix, goat cheese,
candied walnuts and sliced fresh strawberries. Dessert offerings
vary, but the apple tart a la mode is a highlight.
(Photo by Gretchen Gaither)
Dinners often begin with a signature offering: homemade bread and
Pasquini’s bread dip. The mixture features locally sourced extra
virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixed with minced garlic,
red pepper flakes and dried parsley. It’s so popular that
Pasquini’s sells the oil and vinegar at the register with other
branded merchandise.
The restaurant’s legacy dates nearly a century. Its namesake, Dan
Pasquini, a Live Oak farmer, purchased land from the Sullivan
family in 1930. Three nephews joined the enterprise, which also
included a grocery store and gas station. The Depression prompted
innovation. The family offered dinners, including bootleg wine,
in the basement for $1. The food’s quality and a lively
atmosphere equaled success. The illegal wine wasn’t an issue,
family legend details, since law enforcement personnel were
regular diners. Family lore also includes tales of the now
second-floor banquet room having a tenure as a brothel.
According to a family history written in 2006 by Benn Pasquini
(Dan and Reda Pasquini’s son) and detailed on the restaurant’s
website, much happened quickly. When Prohibition was repealed in
1933, the restaurant thrived. A bar was added. Pasquini and
Micheli family members divided responsibilities.
A Micheli family fruit-processing business, Lomo Receiving
Station, was incorporated into the local empire. A growing family
and increased ranch staff necessitated adding the cooking skills
of the owners’ spouses, including Aninna “Nonna” (Grandma)
Micheli.
Pasquini’s began offering specialty nights decades ago: Spaghetti
Monday, Lamb Tuesday, Chicken Wednesday, Veal Thursday and
Cioppino Friday. Only Monday’s tradition remains. On this day,
spaghetti and ravioli are the only pasta entrees available, with
a house salad and garlic bread included.
The staff is young, enthusiastic and attentive. The decor is
casual; some tables have red-and-white checkered tablecloths,
some don’t. The walls feature images of family and scenic
remembrances of the community via maps and photographs.
(Photo by James Raia)
The simplicity of the Monday night menu makes it the restaurant’s
busiest night, although Pasquini’s needs little marketing. Its 4
1/2-hour, dinner-only reservation window results in a robust
business. The only exterior signage visible from either direction
on the highway is a horizontal green and white neon sign
featuring the family name and a cocktail glass. It’s nearly
completely obstructed on both sides by overgrown shrubbery.
Through the years, tragedy brought more changes. The business was
leased to Bud McBain and Orlando “Spud” DelValle in the 1950s to
early 1960s. Benn Pasquini, living in San Francisco and studying
design, inherited the business when his father died in 1964. He
returned to Live Oak and assumed operation until 1971 when a fire
necessitated a renovation. The bar eventually re-opened; the
market did not. Pasquini died in 2017.
The restaurant has had difficult stretches, including bankruptcy
and additional owners and leases. Angelo Micheli became the owner
and has remained the head chef since 2007. He graduated from the
California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, but he learned to
cook while watching his grandmother, with some traditions
remaining only in the family.
A manager on a recent visit said customers ask for the marinara
sauce recipe, but the owner won’t reveal specifics. She doesn’t
know the recipe, either. A hint of sugar is apparent. But like
the restaurant, the legend makes it better.
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