A new restaurant called Trattoria Trullo opened its first location on Wednesday, Jan. 10, in Aliso Viejo Town Center and is serving Italian cuisine.
The restaurant dishes up a variety of Italian plates including pasta, steak, grilled chicken and lasagna. Trattoria Trullo also offers traditional Italian desserts including tiramisú, gelato, torta pasticciotto– a cream-filled Italian pastry topped with cherry sauce and rosata di mandorle– a soft and buttery flourless almond cake.
Marco Criscuolo, the chef and owner of the restaurant grew up in a small agricultural town in Puglia, Italy, and began going to culinary school at the age of 15 years old. During his five years in culinary school, he quickly rose to achievement and was chosen several times to represent his school with cooking internships across the globe.
Criscuolo traveled the world and worked at the four seasons in Sydney, London and Santa Barbara, before settling down in the United States full time and working at the Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, California. Criscuolo spent many years refining his culinary skills as he worked for a UN ambassador as a private chef.
In 2023, Chef Criscuolo moved back to Orange County where he discovered the small and tight-knit community that makes up Aliso Viejo and started to look for the perfect location for his restaurant.
The name of the restaurant refers to trullo, a traditional stone house with a conical roof typically found in the southern parts of Italy where Chef Criscuolo grew up. Today, trulli are popular tourist attractions in Italy and many have been converted into charming homes or hotels.
According to the restaurant’s website, the core values of the staff involve authenticity, freshness, seasonality and quality, tasty ingredients and genuine Italian style.
Mariam Taheri (12) states, “Trattoria Trullo sounds like a great place to eat with friends and family and I think it will do really well in Town Center. Italian food is very popular for all kinds of people and after hearing about the experience and expertise of the owner, I can see that the staff cares about the customers as the number one priority.”
Trattoria Trullo brings the traditions of Italy to diners’ tables and focuses on fresh pasta centered around hometown recipes. Orecciette, cavatelli, bucatini and gnocchi are just some of the pasta shapes that the restaurant makes every day, along with a tasteful wine menu.
Asal Flodius (12), a student at Aliso Niguel says, “I’m really excited about the new Italian restaurant in Town Center because I love Italian food and I live close by so I’ll be able to try it out. Also, since I am vegetarian, pasta is one of my favorite foods because it has a lot of flavor and is filling, without meat or other animal products that I try to stay away from.”
Chef Marco’s Trattoria Trullo brings to Aliso Viejo over 22 years of culinary experience, and the expression of Italian culture through a casual concept and affordable dining experience. Aliso Viejo Town Center’s new addition anticipates a successful outcome and the satisfaction of all its customers.
