WHY It’s got it all: indoor-outdoor dining in hip Culver City, a fun vibe, a great happy hour and excellent dishes made with such au courant things as burrata, Kurobuta pork and shaved goat cheese. WHAT What was a trendy Culver City newcomer not so long ago has now eased into a comfortable adulthood, with [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Owner Maureen Vincenti’s contagious laugh and doting attention to each guest, plus the house-made porchetta, spit-roasted until it’s a perfectly charred, juicy hunk of pure pork bliss. WHAT Step inside the elegant dining room, with its marble counters and slick leather banquettes, and it’s clear this isn’t your average homespun trattoria. Chef Nicola Mastronardi [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY High-quality fresh fish, Italian style; try the crudos, the squid-ink pasta with sea urchin and the salt-baked sea bass. The three-course business lunch is a good value. WHAT Sal Marino grew up in the restaurant business (at Marino’s), and now, in his own modern, elegant place, he’s exploring his own culinary passions: ultra-fresh seafood [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Thin-crust pizzas in the individual Italian style, topped with gorgonzola, pears and walnuts or spicy Italian sausage, and a wide selection of pastas, perhaps with shrimp and asparagus or with homemade Italian sausage. WHAT The stylish import from Toronto brought a lively café to a neighborhood hungry for mid-priced, casual Italian. From the Eames [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Carpaccio, simple roast veal carved tableside, light gnocchi with pesto and Tuscan fish soup, served with deference at a quietly A-list Hollywood canteen. WHAT Well-dressed, middle-aged folks with business to discuss feel very much at home in this traditional ristorante, where the service is smooth and the food is consistently satisfying. It’s the kind [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY The steal is the $15 three-course Sunday supper with $12 bottles (yes, whole bottles) of house wine. Brilliant? No. Fun and economical? You bet. Dominick’s is a great place to take out-of-towners. WHAT An old-school Rat Pack hangout restored to its original red-sauce Italian splendor with black and white photos lining the walls and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Rich oxtails, braised artichokes, green lasagne and other delicious pastas, and wonderful branzino. WHAT There are fancier Italian restaurants in town, but few with better food than this one (and chef Gino Angelini’s other restaurant, La Minestraio). The minimalist storefront is packed a little too tightly, and the room’s a little too loud, but [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY It’s like escaping to Florence right there on Sunset Boulevard. WHAT While the rest of the Sunset Strip screams for attention, this doll house of a ristorante is happy to be invisible—its clientele cares more about food, service and charm than being noticed. Couples and friends reminisce about their last trip to Italy while [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Personal service, carefully cooked pastas and charm galore in a hidden Brentwood location. WHAT Italian trattorie are as plentiful in Brentwood as Guatemalan nannies, and most of them are good. This is one of the least known—and one of the best. The high-ceilinged space is decorated with old black-and-white family photos of brother/owners Davor [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY The sort of friendly, affordable, garlic-scented trattoria that every neighborhood deserves and this one finally got. WHAT A mamma-and-pappa spot with more tables on the sidewalk than inside, Bella Roma is a modest Italian café with a better kitchen than you might expect. Don’t be in a big hurry, because the food’s made from [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
RSS Feed
Become a Fan
Follow Us
