Pane di San Gimignano
Roasted potato, fig and pecorino bread, compliments of the Bakers of Il Fornaio

Pappa al Pomodoro     4.50 cup / 5.50 bowl   Plenum
Tuscan tomato and bread soup with onion, fresh basil and sage

Crostini del Pianaccio      6.95   Vernaccia
Toasted ciabatta chips served with two spreads; chicken and pork, and spicy garbanzo-eggplant

Panzanella      7.50   Chianti Classico
Toasted bread salad with red grape tomatoes, cucumber, Maui onion, celery, fresh basil and red wine vinaigrette
Insalata di Farro e Fave      8.95   Ansonica
Fresh fava beans and farro salad with asparagus, baby arugula and truffled Boschetto cheese, Belgian endive, yellow pear tomatoes; lemon dressing
Capesante, Gamberi e Carciofi      10.50   Vernaccia
Scallops wrapped in pancetta, shrimp and artichokes sautéed and served over cannellini beans

Pappardelle di Castagne      14.95    Morellino
Fresh chestnut pasta with porcini mushrooms, Italian sausage, tomatoes, crushed red pepper and white wine
Mezzelune Cacio e Pere      14.95   Ansonica
Fresh pasta filled with grilled pears, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses; asparagus cream sauce topped with toasted walnuts
Risotto al Chianti      15.95   Chianti Classico
Beef tenderloin and porcini risotto with shallots and pecorino Toscano made with Il Fornaio Chianti Classico

Zuppa di Pesce      22.95   Morellino
Seafood stew with scallops, clams, mussels, calamari, seabass cod and tomato-white wine broth with a grilled filone crouton
Branzino alla Livornese      21.95   Vernaccia
Seabass filet in a filone bread and basil crust, baked with olives, capers and tomato sauce; served with roasted potatoes and sautéed vegetables

Pollo Mattone alla Diavola     17.95   Plenum
Half chicken marinated with herbs and peperoncino, grilled under a brick; served with Tuscan salad and roasted fingerling potatoes

Fritelle di Riso     5.95  
Fried rice balls with vanilla ice cream and créme anglaise

orn and raised in Pistoia, Italy, Alessio Giannuzzi grew up on his family’s farm less than 50 kilometers from Florence. The oldest of four children, Alessio helped tend the family’s olive trees, Sangiovese vineyards and count-less farm animals. Young Alessio spent most summers in Puglia helping out at his uncle’s gelateria, a young boy’s dream summer job if ever there was one.

Alessio graduated from the prestigious Instituto Alberghiero di Montecantini Terme at age 17. After the required military service, he felt ready to be a chef—and his parents were first in line to hire him. The Giannuzzis opened a pizzeria on the Tuscan seaside in tony Forte di Marmi where Alessio and his brother manned the ovens. During the off-season, Alessio honed his skills at the world-famous Grand Hotel La Pace in Montecatini. Vacationing Italian chefs who had worked in the United States quickly noticed this young talent. Alessio was recruited to Rafaello’s, a tiny yet renowned Italian restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Seeking a larger challenge, Alessio moved on to The Covey at Quail Lodge, one of California’s few Mobil Guide five-star resorts. While there, he met the Managing Partner of Il Fornaio in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The more he learned about Il Fornaio, the more he wanted to work there. After a series of meetings and cooking sessions with Executive Chef Maurizio Mazzon, Alessio was offered the position of Chef-Partner.

“I love it here in Carmel,” Alessio says. “It reminds me in so many ways of Tuscany—the beautiful land, the best fresh produce, the nearby ocean and its treasures. And with our wood-fired rotisserie and pizza ovens, I have the perfect kitchen to create authentic Tuscan food!”

In 2004, Alessio joined the Il Fornaio Chef’s Tour through Italy. During their tour, the group stayed at Il Pianaccio, the Giannuzzi’s bed & breakfast in Montale. Their completely restored 400-year-old farmhouse is situated on a 35-acre hillside estate, with 1800 olive trees and a clear view of Florence. Elisa, Alessio’s sister and chef of Il Pianaccio, cooks only with the produce, wine, olive oil and meats that come from the estate. Alessio frequently returns to his family’s Agriturismo to “refresh his taste” of Tuscan cooking and flavor. The recipe for Crostini del Pianaccio on tonight’s menu was named after the restaurant, is a Giannuzzi family recipe. It is just one of several recipes that were tested and brought back from Italy during the 2004 Chef’s Tour.