Most that step into Nettuno at the newly minted Fairmont Breakers are likely not to understand that the space marks a return of many things. There is the return of the building itself. After being shuttered for years, the Fairmont began taking reservations back in November, shortly before having its grand opening. Then there is the return of Sky Room. The revered space is baked into the collective memory of Long Beach—and its reopening is nothing short of the sensation that a much-loved relative has somehow managed to return to the family once more.
Then there is Chef Giuseppe Musso, overseeing the menu at Nettuno under Executive Chef Jared Reeves. And yes, for Long Beach at least, it he marks a return.
The return of Chef Giuseppe Musso is a warm, welcomed one.
Chef Giuseppe is known not just throughout Long Beach’s Italian community but also in its food community.
The man oversaw Michael’s Downtown. (Or what was previously Michael’s Pizzeria, an extension of the restaurant group that oversaw the still-respected Michael’s on Naples and the sadly shuttered Chianina, both in Naples.) In essence, he became Michael’s Downtown. Shifting the space beyond pizza to include a full array of handmade pasta, classic protein dishes, and a continual revolving door of specials, he became the amicable, adoring face of the operation that guests came to expect.
If that man is near a truffle, prepare to be happily inundated with its earthy shavings. If something was not on the menu, prepare to have Chef Giuseppe make some type of concession toward you. And if you—may the food gods have mercy—left his table hungry, one could expect a kind but firm hand on the shoulder pushing you back down into your seat.
To watch him have to walk away from DTLB—Michael’s Downtown shuttered to make way for the second location of brunch concept Ubuntu Cafe—to a break for the far more dull over in Los Alamitos was a heartbreak for many.
From anchovy-layered parmesan shortbreads and blood orange’n’fennel salad to carpaccio, caccitaora-covered quail, and classic carbonara, Nettuno exemplifies traditional Italian cooking. Photos by Brian Addison.
Nettuno isn’t stuffy—a huge part of its charm—but is far from basic or gauche.
In contrast to its upper-floor sister, Sky Room, Nettuno is wonderfully casual. But not pedestrian. Comfortable. But not thrifty. And yes, tylis. But not pretentious. In other words: it is perfectly Italian. Chef Giuseppe is, by no means, wanting to reinvent the wheel but rather, let the classic Italian wheel spin for itself.
This is perhaps best exuded in two dishes. For one, there is Chef Giuseppe’s masterful squid ink spaghetti, a rather sexy dish where the whites of seafood contrast with the beautifully layered blacks exuding from strands of dyed spaghetti. Layered with cuttlefish, shrimp, mussels, and Calabrian chile, it is the perfect example on why uncomplicated Italian food is so widely respected. A lesson in layers of undressed umami, it lets two things speak loudly for themselves: the art of pasta and the power of food from the ocean.
Another example—again, playing with Italy’s love of the ocean—is Chef Giuseppe’s branzino. Playing with acqua pazza—a dish that originated in Napoli but named in Tuscana—Chef Gieseppe could have gone many ways. Some acqua pazzas have olives. Some have carrots. He opts for the simplest of versions, with cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers, celery, and capers taking on dish to accompany a beautiful sea bass.
And there’s more—from additional Italian classics to solid cocktails.
There are hunks of butterflied veal chops that are breaded and fried to perfection for the space’s cotoletta alla Milanese. Served with nothing more than a lemon and an arugula salad—which I recommend you put atop the chop—here, Chef Giuseppe lets the veal and his technique speak for themselves.
Tissue-thin beef slices slathered in olive oil, capers, salt, lemon, chives, and magic.
A simple, forthright array of cocktails accompany the food. A passionfruit-tinged Aperol spritz here. A strawberry negroni there. A rather wonderful take on an espresso martini using coconut water.
What this is the full return to form from Chef Giuseppe in all its glory, in a space he deserves. Even more, we are welcomed and encouraged. And with a two-course lunch with wine included for $45, sitting amid a hotel tailored to each inch of its space, it is well worth it. Though I do suggest the dinner menu.
For those that haven’t visited, the details are the exquisite nuances at the Fairmont Breakers.
There’s the golden, cylinder-by-cylinder chandelier wraps around the entirety of Sky Room’s space in what feels like an architectural melody. Subtle cloud formations are hand-painted on the black ceiling. Tasteful pink and gold booths—harkening to the patented leather booths of its past—line the dining room, where the dancing floor and band space have been removed in favor of a space that feels more open than Sky Room could have ever felt before.
There are the pinks and emeralds, jades and cherry blossoms of Halo, the rooftop space above Sky Room. Guests are greeted at either of the two bars with a rosy, Glinda-esque onyx bartop that feels cut from a singular slab. Elphaba enters the room with feather-shaped, jade tilings along bar’s floor-riding base and hints of greens throughout.
Alter Ego—the hotel’s groundfloor whiskey lounge—is dark, moody, if not outright Mad Men-ish in its attempt to harken simultaneously toward the past with its love of brass and large, round incandescent bulbs. Equally dark wallpaper—with oversized, colorful paintings of flowers and leaves—make for a lounge that will be practically perfect when its large jazz sets begin.
The Fairmont Breakers—in no other words—is the crown hotel gem for Long Beach. In the least, explore its halls. At the best, enjoy each and every space you can in whatever capacity you can.
Nettuno is located inside the Fairmont Breakers in Downtown Long Beach, located at 210 E. Ocean Blvd.
