Valentino Restaurant 40 Years

The iconic Southern California Italian restaurant , Valentino in Santa Monica , celebrated its 40th anniversary by offering two very special dinner celebrations. The first was held on Wednesday Nov. 14, 2012, and featured 40 Sicilian and Sardinian dishes paired with 40 Sicilian and Sardinian wines. Darrell and I had the wonderful pleasure of attending.

We arrived a solid hour before the billed start of the evening. We were met in the entry by owner Piero Selvaggio, who was going over some final details with his waiting staff and Sommeliers. As he always is, Piero was glowing with excitement. From his genuine passion, and his ever so sincere way of greeting guests, I truly beleive that not many Proprietors today can live up to the quality of showmanship which is one of Piero's greatest gifts. I couldn't help but get the feeling, from all of his energy, that there was also a touch of nervousness. It seemed to me that a part of Piero was living in the moment when Valentino first opened 40 years ago. I'm sure that to be the great host which Piero is... one would have to live that moment at the begining of every night's dinner.

Piero, Jeremy Parzen, Nao Yoshida, Darrell Corti All things Sicilian

Chef Nico Chessa & Guest Chef Celestino Drago The selection of 40 wines

A sample of the 40 dishes

Darrell Corti, Nao Yoshida, Steve Wallace

Darrell Corti & Wolfgang Puck Kazu Yoshida, Wolfgang Puck, Nao Yoshida

Darrell Corti & Chef Nico Chessa Piero & Jeremy Parzen

The dinner was truly superb. Fresh, delightfully light, and vibrant. The quality of the wines mirrored all of the inspired dishes. I went back to the kitchen on numerous occassions during the evening and was constantly amazed at the laser sharp efficiency exhibited by the chefs and cooking staff. As I darted from dining room to dining room, it seemed that all of the guests were equally enchanted by the diversity of the 40 plates and how well they paired with the wines. It was definitely a memorable evening.

Grazie, Piero!

Video promo for the next special dinner...

On December 4th, 2012, the second Valentino 40th anniversary dinner was held featuring fresh white tuffles & Barolo . There was a special significance to the evening's celebration. It was held 40 years to the day in which Valentino first opened in 1972!

After an early arrival to get in some pre-dinner pictures and video, we were present to witness a special toast.

The evening's centerpiece was a gift from Piero's dear friend Wolfgang Puck

Piero shows a wonderful display of amazing wines which were layed out for the arriving guests to marvel.

Then the first guests started to arrive...

It was truly a 3 star evening... Piero, amazing Barolo wines, and fresh Truffles!

Here's a look at the extremely talented kitchen and the special dishes they prepared for the evening.

Piero Selvaggio at one of the things he does best..

I've had the very good fortune to meet Piero Selvaggio, experience his talents, and dine in his very special restaurant. The two 40th Anniversary celebrations, as shown in this blog, were amazing. They pay tribute to a very rare occurance...a restaurant which has not only survived 4 decades of doing business, but continues to expand itself growning in a way very few others have been able to. Valentino is a very special place. Piero Selvaggio is a very special man. Anyone who enjoys dining simply must visit. Valentino is an experience to remember!

Darrell Corti & Wolfgang Puck Piero with Barry Gordy and guest