Our second dinner at Ombra supassed the first. This is sophisticated dining in any cIty in the world. The daily ravioli special, home made of course, is divine and available as appetiser or entrée. Corkage is a very reasonable $15. Well worth a visit.
“Exquisite Italian Food”
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“Exquisite Italian Food”
“Heavenly OMBRA Cucina Rustica”
This restaurant is exceptional. The food is divine and we will definitely make this one of our go to restaurants in Hilton Head!
Appetizers included Italian Sausage with beans and broccoli rabe and a divine Pasta Puttanesca—it was served al dente with just the right amount of sauce. The entree consisted of a loin of veal with a cream sauce, again seasoned perfectly. We finished our wonderful feast with fresh fruit with zabaglione. Must do when in Hiton Head.
“Fabulous Date Night”
We had been here with our young children and loved it so came back for date night. Our waiter, Ned, took our dining experience up a notch. We chose our main course and he made excellent suggestions on wine pairing, 1st course and even dessert. Ned was wonderful, food was fabulous, great ambiance… – best date night in a long time!! We’ll definitely be back again and ask for Ned.
Great article about OMBRA by Jesse Blanco!
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OMBRA Cucina Rustica
Posted by eatit_admin|11 March 2014|0 Comments
If you’re lucky enough, you have that gregarious uncle. You know the one. The one who never met a party he didn’t like or turn down an opportunity to not only entertain his guests with a good story, or make sure everyone is happy. The guy that is typically the first in the kitchen to start the meal and won’t stop serving up wonderful eats until everyone is happy? Yes. That is Michael Cirafesi. Owner and Executive Chef at Ombra Cucina Rustica in The Village at Wexford.
“Let’s talk first, then I’ll prepare some dishes for you to photograph” is what I get immediately after a quick hello. Clearly he’s done this before. Clearly he knows how to welcome someone into his home. No complaints from me, immediately we not only feel comfortable but right at home in this beautiful restaurant he’s had for just about a year and a half now after eleven years at Michael Anthony’s. Like any other chef who hopes to eventually open his own place, this restaurant was far from a forgone conclusion. “Not knew it was going to happen. I certainly wanted it to happen.”, he tells me. “Usually you have to have someone help you.” He got the backing, opened his doors and hasn’t looked back.
Beautiful and elegant? Of course. Stuffy? Nothing about Ombra says stuffy. Make no mistake, this is fine dining but not pretentious. “The menu is classic Italian.”, he says with confidence. “Based upon classic dishes. I am a little young, I try to be on the hip side. Try new things sometimes, but I try to stay classic.” TheTagliatelle alla Bolognese will tell you all you need to know about classic Italian. Absolutely wonderful. Attention to detail? It is most certainly there. If the dish didn’t wow me when I tasted it, the fact that Chef Michael asked to switch out his parsley garnish for a basil leaf before it was photographed is proof enough that he is paying attention. To everything.
It also helps to know your clientele. The island is a small place. Every restaurant has it’s fair share of regulars and Ombra is no different. It’s not uncommon for them to field phone calls from those regulars asking “What is the ravioli today?” Michael laughs at this knowing that there is a delicate balance between keeping people happy and offering something different. The ravioli, however, pretty much changes every day or so. “Sometimes we tell them, today we are doing the black truffle. Tomorrow the Burrata.” You then get the impression some people are making their plans for dinner that week based on the availability of the dishes, which he tries to keep seasonal. Mixing local ingredients, like peaches from Estil and using them in a classic Italian recipe. We sampled the pasta, a seared veal chop with mushrooms and a red wine sauce and the panna cotta – an egg-less Italian custard served with assorted fruit. All of it eye-rollingly wonderfully. I don’t know if “rollingly” is a word, but I just used it anyway.
When you try these dishes and taste for yourself how perfect they are, then you realize the menu he has whipped up for the 29th Hilton Head Island Wine and Food Festival is a show stopper itself. At least it was for me. The theme is “Spring in Tuscany” and starts with Grilled Shrimp and White Beans, adds a Ravioli, then there’s a Bistec alla Fiorentina and finally the Bomboloni. Fried Italian doughnuts filled with lemon crème and serve with vanilla gelato. “Dunkin Donuts has got it going on, but the Bomboloni are out of this world.”, he says with a laugh. The entire menu just makes any foodie sigh with envy. Pair the courses with wines from Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi – one of the best known wine makers in Tuscany – and you’ve got a near perfect evening lined up and a certain fun time. “The food is always formal.” He says “the wine is always great, but the crowd and the energy is always very fun.” Sure sounds like it.
For more information on Ombra Cucina Rustica and their wine dinner as part of the Wine and Food Festival, visit them at www.ombrahhi.com.
I have no doubt you will Eat It and Like It.
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“Chef Michael Cirafesi is Brilliant”
Chef Michael Cirafesi created one of the best food and wine pairings I have ever experienced. His approach to Italian food is world class.
Amazing attention to detail and ingredients. Each dish was carefully created to pair brilliantly with the wines from Planeta, the benchmark producer from our special Island Sicily.
Chef Michael is first generation Sicilian so tonights menu truly came from the heart, Bravo!!!!
I travel all over the country and I must say this is in my top 5 meals of the year.
I highly recommend you try Ombra, ask for Chef Michael and he will take you on a journey through Italy.
Enjoy and Salute!
Tuscan Dream
Delicious Food & Fantastic Service!-We are so happy Ombra Cucina Rustica is now open, we were really looking forward to dining here and were not disappointed. The interior of the restaurant is fabulous, just like walking into a rustic Tuscan dream. The food was excellent, from the ravioli of the day to the veal cheek & osso bucco specials, it was all delicious…and the foccia was terrific too. The service was outstanding. The house-made limoncello is exceptional, but the cafe sport digestivo was absolutely “to die for”…we will be back, you can count on it!
Bravo to you! We anxiously awaited your opening and were thrilled with our dining experience last Saturday. The interior of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful and the food, was wonderful. Our server, Rolando was top-notch. We’ll return!
New York Style Dining
New York style dining-A nice new addition to an area that needed some sizzle. A big improvement over other restaurants on Hilton Head in attitude and food selection. The chef is a pro and always has specials that steal the show! Don’t miss this new spot a real treat to show off a newlace to friends! A veal haven for lovers.
Exceptional style my second time to enjoy fine food.
“To die for!!”
This review is a little different than I usual, but so was the restaurant.
If you like Italian and don’t go here you’ve missed one of the most incredible eating experiences on Hilton Head! The restaurant is relatively new, but I’m sure will be the talk of the town as soon as people break from the routine and experience it. The restaurant is formal in appearance, as is the staff. The staff presented themselves more professionally than most restaurants we experienced on HH, with a greater command of the menu and food preparation.
There were four of us and we all ordered something different. Other than the mussels, I’m not going into a lot of detail on the food, sorry. The mussels are something to behold. Their presentation was unlike I have ever seen before and the broth was, well, you just have to experience it. The mussels themselves were a variety that was small, clean tasting and fresh, just fantastic.
As for the rest of the food, it was just too good. I’m mostly writing this to say that this is not a place to be missed. If you truly love good food with impeccable preparation and presentation please go here. It doesn’t matter what you get, it’s not a place you say, “well get the x, they make it great”, it’s all great.
Hilton Head Monthly Magazine
One of the best on the Island
As a former professional chef and fan of Chef Michael, I went to Ombra Cucina Rustica with high expectations and I was not disappointed. Everything was fabulous. From the pre-dinner salad, which was just greens but perfectly dressed, to the fabulous Panettone Bread pudding for dessert, everything was executed perfectly. Our server, Kathi, (whom we know from living on HHI for 20 years) is so professional and really knows the menu and knows her wine. She was able to answer any questions about either. Portions were very large, but I found myself eating every morsel way past full! One of the best meals I’ve had on HHI. Ombra Cucina Rustica is finding it’s way quickly to one of the best on the island