Classico Sets Its Sites on Success

In 1988, Vittorio Sancisi and three partners charted their future. They would open a restaurant, make it a fantastic success, then open three others. After five years, they would all retire and live on some tropical island. They got off to a good start when they opened Classico, an Italian restaurant in Hermosa Beach, but that was about all that went right initially with the plan.

“After about a month,” Sancisi recalls, “the oldest guy said, ‘I didn’t know it was gonna be so much work; I’m too old to be doing this,’ and he quit. Then the chef, also a partner, complained he was spending too much time in the kitchen. ‘I’m too young to be doing this. I have no time to meet the girls.’ So he quit and moved to the south of France.”

But Sancisi and his remaining partner, Giuseppe Vivacqua, stayed on. Although they haven’t made it to the island yet, they did make their restaurant a success. Now however, the days of Classico at the Pier Avenue site are numbered.

The space was recently sold when they received a cash offer they couldn’t refuse. Fans of Classico need not panic yet, for Sancisi plans to relocate to a South Bay site, preferably in Hermosa Beach, as soon as he finds the right place. Meals will be served at Pier Avenue until the end of this month.

Whether going for one last meal at Classico before it moves or for the first time, patrons will be served slices of warm focaccia bread to dip into pools of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Two can share an appetizer of swordfish rolls ($7.50), which consist of thin slices of swordfish fillet wrapped around a mixture of shrimp, clams, garlic and parsley, then sauteed in olive oil and Marsala wine and served over a bed of spinach.

One of the specialties of the house is rondellini al fagiano ($13.95), wide ribbons of pasta layered with a mixture of pheasant and mushrooms, then rolled up and topped with more shredded pheasant, mushrooms and Parmesan. Messalina pesce ($17.95) features grilled fresh halibut topped with scampi in a white wine-garlic-lemon sauce.

Several nightly specials are offered, such as bow tie pasta with several large chunks of salmon in a light cream sauce ($14.95). One caveat: While the serving staff recites the many specials in loving detail, they do not mention the price. Be sure to ask, to avoid any surprises when the check comes.

Classico is at 68 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. (310) 376-4412. Open every day (until March 1) 5:30 to 11:30 p.m.