Column: Barbara’s Bits & Bites: Canapa Farms in Huntington Beach offers gourmet Italian cuisine with a hemp twist

I haven’t written a Barbara’s Bits & Bites for a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my eye out for interesting places to dine.

Now that the Daily Pilot has broadened its scope of coverage, I recently ventured to Huntington Beach to try a neighborhood Italian restaurant that I’d been hearing buzz about, as it cooks with hemp-infused flour.

My good friend Patti Cakes, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Cannabis Baking in O.C.,” suggested I try Canapa Farms Italian Bistro, 15941 Edwards St. Huntington Beach, which serves gourmet Italian cuisine with a hemp twist.

In an age when chefs are cooking with unconventional items like ground cricket flour, which is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, hemp didn’t sound that strange as a mainstream cooking ingredient.

Is hemp healthy?

Apparently so, but if you think you’re going to get high while sprinkling hemp seeds on your salad, or baking and cooking with hemp flour, think again.

To give you some background, seeds of the hemp plant — cannabis sativa — won’t get you high, but they are a great source of healthy fats and essential fatty acids and protein. They are rich with Vitamin E, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron and zinc.

Because they contain omega-6 and omega-3s, hemp oil is also being used for skin treatments, and there are benefits for the circulatory and immune systems, according to WebMD.

Ground seeds are used to make milk, oil and flour, and judging from the number of hemp cookbooks on the market, eating healthfully with hemp is a growing trend.

Canapa Farms has jumped on the bandwagon.

The whole thing intrigued me. I was eager for a taste test. The restaurant has a dog-friendly, outdoor-covered patio and ample parking.

The interior has a cozy, rustic, cottage-like atmosphere. It’s a great little local Italian joint, and the Sunday night I was there was packed with families.

There were several video monitors on the walls touting the health benefits and nutritional facts of hemp.

Portions are ample and easily shared. I liked the variety.

Calzones, $9, are stuffed with chicken, meatballs, pepperoni, ham and cheese, or vegetarian ingredients.

Pastas and pizzas can be ordered with or without hemp-infused flour. We, of course, went for the hemp products.

I had the Mama Mia, $14, with penne hemp pasta, sun dried tomatoes, chicken and artichoke hearts in a homemade tomato sauce, and it was delicious. I can honestly say I didn’t notice a taste difference from regular pasta. But I will say later that I didn’t have the bloated-stuffed feeling I usually have after eating pasta.

You can also create your own pasta dishes, $10, choosing from capellini, fettuccine, penne rigatoni and spaghetti, and pair it with marinara, Alfredo, vodka, bolognese and creamy pesto sauces.

They offer a wide variety of pizzas, $8 to $18, depending on size and toppings.

We tried a small mushroom pizza, which was quite good.

The Italian sausage and roasted peppers with penne, $13, was another solid choice.

Our server was friendly and helpful in answering questions, and open to customizing dishes to our tastes.

Popular menu dishes are Chicken Pasta Alfredo, $15, Chicken Marsala, $16, Eggplant Parmigiano, and Chicken Picatta, $16.

Panini, Stromboli, salads and sandwiches, all priced well, are among the other menu items.

The children’s menu features Kid’s Fettuccine Alfredo, $8, Spaghetti Marinara, $6, and Ravioli Marinara, $6.

Leave room for dessert.

Canapa Farms offers a Classic Cannoli, $5, Lemmon Chello Cake, $6, New York Cheesecake, $6, Spumoni ice cream, $5, and Tiramisu, $7, as well as Crème Brule and Chocolate cake, $6. We tried the cheesecake and Tiramisu — both were amazing.

Open for about a year now, reservations are a good idea since the place is popular, and word is spreading. Order online for carryout or delivery.

Canapa Farms is open for dinner and lunch. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 10 p.m. Fridays; and 4 to 10 p.m. Saturdays.

I would definitely go back.

BARBARA VENEZIA lives in Newport Beach. She can be reached at [email protected].