BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:Southern Italy in SoCal

Massimo Carro always knew he’d be a restaurant owner.

Growing up in Positano, Italy, a small village on the southern Mediterranean coast, Carro’s family owned two upscale hotels. In 2000, he opened Ristorante Max in Italy while he managed a restaurant at the family’s five-star Covo dei Saraceni Hotel in Positano.

One night at Ristorante Max he met his future wife, who lured him away from his small hometown three years ago to Newport Beach.

In August, he continued with his lifelong calling and opened up his second Ristorante Max, this time in Newport. He prides himself on bringing traditional Southern Italian dishes to Orange County, something he said the area is in need of.

“Lots of restaurants are more Americanized,” Carro said, sitting at the restaurant’s wine bar. “We don’t have the typical dishes you find in other Italian restaurants, like Caesar salads, that’s what makes the biggest difference.”

At the restaurant he and fellow Italian chefs Giuseppe Stanzione and Alfonso Pisacane create traditional Positano dishes as Carro pays homage to his home with a slew of paintings that picture the hillside fishing community.

Because of Positano’s geography, the traditional fare primarily consists of fish and vegetables. Carro does not use cream or butter in his sauces, but uses premium extra virgin olive oil in just about everything. Everything that is plated is made at the restaurant, including sauces, pasta and desserts.

Three times a week, fish is imported from Italy for signature dishes.

“Nothing is prepared beforehand — we don’t precook pasta, we do it right away,” Carro said. “Sometimes it takes longer, but it’s worth it, I think.”

The restaurant’s wine list is extensive, with many premium labels available by the glass and by the bottle. Carro has wine tastings once or twice a month.

Besides being serial restaurateurs and hotel owners, Carro’s family also is involved in the antique and art world, inspiring Carro to create an art gallery inside the restaurant. All the Italian-imported paintings hanging are for sale and range from $500 to $7,000.

“I feel like I’m in Italy when I’m there,” Newport Beach Restaurant Assn. spokeswoman Peggy Fort said. “The ambience and cuisine served at Ristorante Max is a traditional example of the diversity of outstanding restaurants now shaping the Newport Beach dining scene.”

Ristorante Max is at Dover and Westcliff drives in Newport Beach and reservations are recommended. People interested in learning about the restaurant can visit Carro’s Italian websites www.ristorantemax.it or www.covodeisaraceni.it.

For more information or to make a reservation call (949) 515-8500.