Ristorante Del Porto

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Partnership Rooted in Napa, Planted in Louisiana

Del Porto Ristorante is the creation of David and Torre Solazzo, a husband-and-wife chef team whose paths crossed in the Napa Valley at Tra Vigne, one of California's most celebrated Italian restaurants. David graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park in 1998; Torre, a 1999 graduate of the California Academy in San Francisco, had been cooking at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch before the two met. When they came to New Orleans in 2000 to marry, they had no firm plans to stay — but the region's culinary energy changed that.

Working together under Chef Gerard Maras at Artesia Restaurant in Abita Springs, they discovered Louisiana's Northshore and recognized it as the right setting for the rustic Italian cooking they both loved. In June 2002, they opened a modest 10-table restaurant in the heart of Covington. Within a year, New Orleans Magazine named it Best New Restaurant.

Contemporary Italian in a Southern Louisiana Context

In a region where rich, tomato-heavy Southern Italian fare dominates, the Solazzos carved out a distinct identity: contemporary Italian cuisine built on house-made, seasonal, farm-to-table ingredients. That focus resonated well beyond the Northshore. By 2006, the Times-Picayune had named Del Porto the Best Italian Restaurant in the New Orleans area, and the restaurant's growing following prompted a move in January 2007 to its current home at 501 East Boston Street — a more spacious setting that overlooks the heart of downtown Covington.

The accolades kept pace with the expansion. Del Porto earned a place on the Times-Picayune Top Ten Restaurants list every year from 2007 through 2011, appeared in Zagat's Top Rated guide, and was included in New Orleans' top 10 restaurants as recently as 2018. David and Torre were James Beard Foundation semi-finalists for Best Chef: South in 2009, 2010, and 2011 — a distinction that reflects just how seriously the broader food world took what they were doing on the Northshore. The restaurant's wine program earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, underscoring a commitment to the table that extends well beyond the plate.

Press coverage has highlighted specific dishes that embody the kitchen's approach: house-made pasta and an osso buco described as falling right off the bone — the kind of Italian cooking that is precise without being fussy.

The Space and the Experience

A renovated Wine Room, added in December 2014, offers a private dining setting overlooking Boston Street — well suited for intimate gatherings or larger private events. Outdoor seating, valet parking, and a happy hour running Tuesday through Friday round out an experience that is polished but unpretentious. David and Torre Solazzo remain the driving force in the kitchen, continuing to refine their approach to Italian cuisine for southeast Louisiana — and for anyone willing to make the trip across the lake.