Sicily by Gino - Ventura, CA

And just like that, we've come to the conclusion of my vacation posting and this was the place that I went for my carbo loading for the Ojai Marathon, just about a week ago. I originally wanted to go to this other Italian restaurant but by the time dinner rolled around, I was tired and wanted to just grab a quick dinner so that I can head back to the hotel for an early night. This was my second choice and was so close to our hotel that it was a given. This place is known for their pizzas and pasta dishes. We were lucky because when we walked in around 6pm there was just one table open. I'm a fan of Northern Italian food so I wasn't sure if I was going to like this or not but turned out to be a good choice.

It is very cramped inside. They can only really seat about 5-6 parties of 4 people at a time with a couple of single bar tables near the entrance.

These breadsticks were really good. I think they use the same dough for the pizza but these breadsticks were brushed with olive oil with a hint of rosemary. They were warm and chewy and amazing!

If you go here, don't get the Calamari!! I put one piece in my mouth and spat it out. They were burnt tasting and too heavy on the breading and inside the thick breading the calamari was dried out beyond belief and seemed old. It was gross. I wanted to send it back but dining companion would not let me. I was disgusted!

Dining companion ordered the Siciliana Pizza (Sausage, mushrooms, olives, and capers) - I was told that the pizzas here are amazing! They sure looked that way.

I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese. This was really good! I'd like to believe that it was this dish that helped me PR the next day. ;^) I ate the entire plate. It's been awhile since I've had pasta so this was a really nice treat. It was a medium size serving so it was a little more than enough for me. So good!

Sicily by Gino

563 E Main St
Ventura, CA 93001

(805) 641-2220