Oliveto

5655 College Ave.
(510) 547-5356

Italian in Oakland's Rockridge area

This place is really big! The downstairs is for their more casual wood oven menu, and the upstairs menu is more extensive with more variety. We went upstairs, and were welcomed by a great waiter. We ended up ordering what he suggested....

To start, we had the crudo (Italian sashimi, basically) with halibut and avocado - this was amazing. The amount of citrus was perfect and, with the salt, made the dish cohesive. For entrees, we shared paccheroni (the beef wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It felt slightly overcooked) and the strozzapreti which I liked. I think I just like anything with ricotta salata - I like salty things.

We had a pretty light meal, but it was good quality and well priced. The non-pasta entrees are about $15+ more expensive, which is why our meal doesn't match the pricing on this entry (we spent $25/person). I like this place! I need to go a few more times to get a better feel.