RESERVATIONS: Accepted, Reservations Recommended, Reservations for Large
Parties, Delivery, Full Bar
ATMOSPHERE: Trendy, Romantic, Lively, Quiet
RECOMENDATIONS: Singles, Couples/Dates, Business Dining, Teens/Youth, Families/Children, Seniors, Gay/Lesbian, Large Parties, View, Conversation, People Watching, Power Scene, Special Occasion, Wine List
RECOMMENDATIONS: Singles, Couples/Dates, Business Dining, Teens/Youth, Families/Children, Seniors, Gay/Lesbian, Large Parties, Conversation, Power Scene
REVIEWED: Feb-3-2000
FOOD: VERY GOOD
AMBIANCE: VERY GOOD
SERVICE: GOOD
Ahh the lights the glamour the sunset hair. Beautiful people everywhere and we knew each.and.every.one of them. Good griEf, even Mascot BeeBee made an appearance, hidden under Dr. Liz1s black leather coat. And yet, Ivan didn't show up because he went to Shaggg's gig which was so far underground that only Ivan knew about it. Well, sniff.
This is Wrong Dimension Boy's favorite Italian restaurant in LA. Read how he engages in shameless name-dropping: "I once took Perry Farrell here and he seemed to like it too, so it got the rock star vote. I know it's a bit pricey from the usual fare SDC is used to, but the taste is worth it. My usual order: Chicken Parmesan with spinach, potatoes and a cup of coffee and a Coke [wiRED!]. The ravioli is excellent as well, and the portabello mushrooms are mad-town stoopid! (OK. OK. No more slang. Someone's liable to smack me.) Seeing A. Ausgang's house for the after party was great too!"
But Peter thinks no. He's hard to impress. And he was in shock from seeing pretty BeeBee for the first time--up close and personal. ChrisLove got the meeting on camera...sometimes it takes a while for a novice to get used to the contrast between BeeBee's earthly self and his pure inner beauty. We spent around $350 bucks on wine, which was shocking for our budgetary souls. Meanwhile Peter asks, what could we do with $750? WHat could we do with 40 odd people? Something ridiculous, he concludes. We could have a big dance party. We could shoot a low-budget porno. We could pay somebody's rent. We could get our teeth whitened. Maybe we could pay for 1/2 a boob job. How much do those things cost anyway?
First, Meit/huas had the calamari, very good; then gnocchi with a pesto cream sauce very good and fresh with an almost something or other. The basil was so good it had a perfume of rose. (No, he says...it wasn't perfume of rose--it was a perfume LIKE a rose perfume). OK. Airbubblesout says THATZ whatz so good about Mafioso restaurants, they get good shit. She had the Trenette Al Pesto with porcini included. It was extraordinary. Meit/huas (you'll notice that once again I am spelling his name differently, new corrections keep coming to the fore and I am amiably going along with the evolution: change is GOOD) he also says the other pesto penne with pine nuts with an olive oil based sauce was good. He had a carpaccio with raw beef and lemon and Parmesan. It was very nice. The fettucine with the 4 cheeses had a lot of cheese but he could deal with it.
Elton's simple Caesar was crisp, tasty, and well priced.
Service tended to be quick though somewhat chaotic, with some confusion as to who ordered which dish, but that's normal for us at this point. And the patient sassy waiter gave us handy big-group tips about how to deal with big tabs and booze etc. Unfortunately we got the info after the bill-time confusion, but next time we1ll be so fuckin' prepared, life will run smoothly from here on out. Sweet smiles and reassuring winks.
Ivan says that "...the crushed lemming was sad and poignant with a bittersweet tarragon flambe and requiem ad infinitum. hehehehehahahahahehehehHOOOHEEE le chiffre thinks he is faster than ME, but I am faster than he, in my lotus formula !!!" Oh come on Ivan, you can't fool US! You weren't even THERE!
Vince ate Petto Di Pollo Limone E Capperi--theen slahces uf cheecken brreast wi caypers. SOOO deleeshus! Kissy Kissy! It came with a little side of spinach, and roasted potatoes. Hedy ate the shrimp appetizer--she said it was good but not great. The shrimp was overcooked, and she can't remember too much about it which speaks for itself, I guess. It is very important to mention the Ravioli Al Radicchio (HOMEMADE ravioli with spinach and ricotta cheese in creamy radicchio sauce): Absolutely crAZY excellent smothered in grated Parmesan and drooled over by every DAMN person that tasted it. In ChrisLove1s opinion, this is THE dish to order (next to the crushed flambe lemming).
This is what I just heard: "Dicks are so erotic" and "wow, whadya know, mirrors." Location is everything.
SHolto says Tavola Calda was so middle of the road, that he couldn't see the curb on either side. But Robot Moose says "Tavola probably has the best ambiance of any recent pilgrimage. The open beam, arced-hangar space was suffused with golden hues and some purty durn decent paintings to boot. Typical, I suppose, for a trendy Melrose eatery, but I appreciated the break from fluorescent linoleum generic whatever. The spaghetti pescatore had fairly fresh shellfish covered in a fairly mundane tomato blanket. Ho hum, but the chianti was quite delish and the brief taste of gnocchi in pesto was exquisite. Next time, I'll KNOW what to order." Regarding that art comment, though, difference of opinion prevails: Wrong Dimension Boy and others felt that it looked like thesis work in a community college....................in Afghanistan. Check it out naaooow, funk soul brudder. Miranda, the-dance-party-freak is in control of the music now. We can tell w/o even looking. oh no, Tony EXIT might start to dance. and CHrislOve has a view of 2 people doing the bird. What a bunch of lose....COOLfunpeople!! "Right about now, I'm a drunk sole brudder". Sounds fishy.
Speaking of which Ausgang's salad was crazy with huge honkin' pieces of fried goat cheese. Dang, this restorahnt is fancy!
(CL)
OTHER MAFIA-OWNED RESTAURANTS: Paoli's in Woodland Hills; Every pizza joint in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; "Oh God Pedro's"; Fried Fingers; Last cappuccino before the 101; Albanese's in Eastchester, New York; Frankie's Supper Club on Melrose; Dan Tanas on SM Boulevard; The Two Toms in Brooklyn; Taylor's Steak House on 8th. Mister-the-Saint politely suggests a mysterious "Sam's Hof Brau" on Seventh (maybe) which looks to feature a sort of strippers-and-steak horror show atmosphere. Wow! Sounds great!
Mascot BeeBee, Trixie, ChrisLove, Sholto, Arek, Leah, Kari, Vince, Hedy, Michael Perrick, Didi Gerlach, Elton Kriste, Captain Chocolate, Airbubblesout, Dr. Laura, Jane Laurel Sobo, Morgan Rose, Lauri MacDonald, Dr. Liz and Gringa=Lizsquared, Buck 3The Gringo2, Nancy Whalen, Stephanie Faiella, Prickle, Tommy2tongue, CTHULHU, Mister-the-Saint, Ausgang, Tom, Miranda, Yukistar, Alex Patterson, HeyJuan, Meit/huas (who made another
amazing dessert for the after-party which left us all RAVING dahling!! Contact Trixie if you need a caterer.) Danny Ocean (coolnamedude!), Avivah, Frightwig Frankie, Mr. Name, Jeremy Waiter.
Special Appearances by: Juliana, Petey Meister and Daisy, Ian, Ivan Johnson, Farrah Rocker
RECOMMENDED DISHES: Ravioli Al Radicchio
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