I was delighted to learn that an Italian pasta restaurant recently opened in downtown LA. Having fresh memories of my vacation in Italy, I was hopeful that Mona Pasta Bar would relive my fond days of twirling fresh pasta in Tuscany. Mona Pasta Bar quietly soft opened on Ninth Street at the beginning of August….
pasta
Cento Delivers Exceptional Pasta Creations
In 2015 Cento caught LA’s food enthusiasts’ attention when it opened inside a downtown wine bar. Owner Avner Lavi operated as a one-person operation, dazzling diners as he prepared unique pasta offerings. There Lavi operated as a weekday daytime pop-up. Lavi (formerly from Bestia and Sotto) perfected his pasta-making skills at Bestia. Thru social media,…
Pura Vita Opens Plant-Based Italian in Redondo Beach
In the last few years, I’ve been fascinated by the advances in vegetarian cooking. Instead of tofu being the main ingredient, chefs use other meat substitutes like tempeh, black beans, seitan, and chickpeas. Pura Vita became the first 100% plant-based Italian Restaurant in LA, and they recently opened their third restaurant in Redondo Beach. Chef…
Chef Melba’s Bistro, Seafood Heaven in Hermosa Beach
I’ve always thought of Hermosa Beach as a bar town and not somewhere you can dine on anything except bar food. Despite driving, bicycling, and skating on Hermosa Ave right in front of Chef Melba’s Bistro, I never felt the urge to visit. Due to a friend’s recommendation, my wife and I recently dined there. …
Week 1 – Coronavirus Dining in LA
With the freedom Americans enjoy, I never imagined that our everyday lives would be impacted in such a severe way. Freedom means many things and I used to enjoy the freedom of movement or as Southwest Airlines says “you are now free to move about the country.” I thought it would be interesting to continue…
Factory Kitchen – Truly Amazing Italian Cuisine
Editor’s Note: This visit took place prior to the coronavirus outbreak. Due to the severity of the pandemic, Factory Kitchen was forced to temporarily close. When a search result comes back with “249 Best Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles” from OpenTable, that is amazing. And that is only the Italian restaurants that take OpenTable reservations….
Fatto a Mano – Quality Italian Pasta in Redondo Beach
I enjoy featuring entrepreneurs because they are positive, enthusiastic, and they like what they do for a living. The latest entrepreneur I discovered is chef/owner Marco Pacelli. He owns and operates a new pasta shop in Redondo Beach named Fatto a Mano, translated to English, made by hand. Fatto a Mano is located in a…
Pasta Sisters – Affordable Quality Italian
In LA’s westside, Culver City is where many new and exciting restaurant concepts appear. One of the latest is Pasta Sisters, a fast-casual Italian restaurant that makes their pasta fresh in-house. They pair the pasta with quality Italian sauces and offer them with an optional fresh ball of burrata cheese. Pasta Sisters first opened its…
Barrique, a Romantic Destination in Venice
My wife and I were happy to join my cousin and her husband for her recent birthday. They are devout food connoisseurs and when asked where they would like to dine, they left it up to me. I don’t like having that decision for a birthday, but I didn’t argue. Since I hadn’t dined in…
N10 Restaurant – Elegant Italian Eatery Opens on 3rd Street
N10 Restaurant is the latest hot restaurant on Third Street in Beverly Grove. They feature multiregional Italian cuisine from chefs Fabio Ugoletti and Nick Parker, formerly of the Bastianich B&B Hospitality Group (which includes Eataly). The new restaurant is named after the number 10 on the jersey worn by the owner, former Italian soccer superstar…