Brunello Trattoria's the Real Deal
Brunello Trattoria is the closest you’ll get to Naples in Los Angeles, says basilboy. “The pasta is homemade and cooked al dente. They are never over sauced. The ingredients are fresh and local. The fresh baked bread is unbelievably distinctive and amazingly good. ... The pizza is great and uses the same bread recipe for the crust. ... The recipes range from Roman to Neapolitan to Northern Italian, and most all of them bring you back to Italy.”
“I grew up eating Italian food passed down from old family recipes … and Brunello is like the perfect comfort food for me,” says noahbites. “The menu is simple, but almost every dish has that homemade care and love that just puts me in a good mood.”
The special of linguine with soft-shell crab is fantastic, says slacker. Gnocchi vongole—gnocchi with a circle of clams—is different, and really tasty, says noahbites. And he’s managed to order it every time, even when it wasn’t on the daily specials list.
SecretAsianMan just discovered the place: “The food and service were so fantastic that I ate there three nights in a row, introducing a different foodie friend each night. Two nights in a row, I ordered the veal-porcini fettucine, which was so amazingly delicious that it dominated my consciousness for days.”
The ambiance is simple: a clean little family joint, all the way.
Brunello Trattoria [Westside–Inland]
6001 Washington Boulevard, Culver City
310-280-3856
Board Link: Brunello Trattoria in Culver City: Naples Born Owner, Family Run, A Must-Visit Place
Posted by C. Thi Nguyen | Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:49:00 -0700 |
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Hummus in the Heart of Little Tel Aviv
Did you know Los Angeles has a Little Tel Aviv? It’s in Tarzana. bulavinaka’s best hummus experience yet is at Hummus Bar and Grill, right in “the epicenter of Little Tel Aviv.” You may, says bulavinaka, be the only non-Israeli in the place.
The hummus is “very creamy, mild, a little umami, swirled with olive oil and some spice and herbs,” says bulavinaka. You can have it plain, or topped with sautéed mushrooms, chicken, steak, or pine nuts. But the best topping of all is braised chickpeas. “It sounds redundant but the braised chickpeas do add another subtle dimension of flavor and texture.”
Flatbread is made fresh and served immediately.
Hummus Bar and Grill [San Fernando Valley–West]
18743 Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana
818-344-6606
Board Link: Best Hummus in L.A.
Posted by C. Thi Nguyen | Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:45:00 -0700 |
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Modern Tokyo Kappo
Despite the Japanese culinary riches of the Los Angeles area, exilekiss has been missing modern kappo restaurants like the ones she visited in Tokyo. A kappo-ya (sometimes called a koryouri-ya in Tokyo) is a relaxed, convenient place that “specializes in the Culinary Arts, focusing on the chef’s and kitchen’s ability to provide refined Small Plates focusing on the key disciplines within Japanese cuisine: A Kappo menu will usually have dishes featuring their skills for Cutting, Steaming/Stewing, Grilling, Frying, etc.” And, while there are a lot of places in SoCal that call themselves kappos, they’re all pretty humble—nothing like the stylish Tokyo kappos. Until exilekiss found the new Kagura.
Kagura has an extensive, creative menu, but it’s an “unpolished jewel,” says exilekiss. The greatest glory: kinmedai no nitsuke—slow-stewed snapper in soy sauce broth. It’s “perfection personified, so tender, wonderfully flavorful as only Kinmedai can get, and a nice supple texture while still retaining its inherent structure.” Ankimo no touban yaki kuzuankake—sautéed monkfish liver—is “liquid nirvana,” says exilekiss, with a great sear, and light notes of mirin and mushroom. Koayu takikomi gohan—baby sweetfish over steamed rice—is beautiful and simple. It’s steamed inside an earthenware pot, and comes to the table lidded, all the better to preserve the aromas.
“With an innovative menu, and some rare dishes I haven’t seen offered on any local menu, and a great waitstaff aiming to please … Kagura has the potential to be a great Tokyo-style Koryouri-ya. For now, I would stick with the dishes off their Main Menu and pass on the Kaiseki courses until they can work out their service kinks,” says exilekiss.
Kagura [South Bay]
1652 Cabrillo Avenue, Torrance
310-787-0227
Board Link: The Beautiful, Unpolished Jewel–Modern Tokyo Dining at KAGURA [Review] w/ Pics!
Posted by C. Thi Nguyen | Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:19:00 -0700 |
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Illustration by Christoph Niemann
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