Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 859-3884
Two days ago, Ashley and I went to Da’Pasquale Trattoria for our second dineLA experience. We found a couple of parking structures conveniently located right behind the restaurant. I'll just say outright that this place offers an exceptional experience especially for its warm service, fresh ingredients, and a pleasant dining ambiance. Walking into the restaurant, the decor was very reminiscent of restaurants in Italy which I thought was a great touch. What was amazing though is that despite the restaurant being so busy at the time, the owner himself was able to personally greet us at the door. We were seated quickly and walked through the bustling floor of the restaurant to get to our seat. This restaurant really nails the authentic Italian dining experience right here in the heart of LA! Their Dine LA menu consisted of a three-course meal. Ashley and I each chose different dishes so we could sample more of their food.
They started off our night with some bread and sauce of olive oil with balsamic vinaigrette. The bread was warm and fresh out of the oven, a little bit hard on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. It was not the best bread I have ever tasted, but it was definitely a very good start nevertheless. it was such a busy night so we waited quite a while to get our food, but at least our waiter never left us feeling forgotten and would periodically come back around in order to ask if we wanted more water or more bread. This was awesome because since the restaurant is family-owned, the waiting staff really made us feel as if we were part of the family during our visit.
Ashley: For my appetizer, I chose the Prosciutto e Mozzarella. The Prosciutto was absolutely delicious! They paired the meat and cheese with arugula, which I found to be quite bitter. But that just might be preference. Stephen, however, thought it complemented the dish quite nicely. The mozzarella cheese, while not super rich, was light and creamy. And the presentation of the dish itself was beautiful.
Ashley: For my main dish, I chose to try the Pici Alla Salsiccia Picante, which is basically hand-rolled long pasta. And honestly, I was quite disappointed. While the sauce itself was quite flavorful, I found the noodles to be too thick and chewy. The serving size was not that generous either. Some of the other people sitting around us appeared to have ordered from the regular menu with significantly larger portion sizes. This pasta dish was mediocre at best. Nothing special, and if you were going to try the Dine LA menu, I would recommend trying some of their other options.
Stephen: I had the Filetto di Branzino All' Aqua Pazza, which is basically sea bass with potatoes and spinach on the side. I definitely wished that my sea bass was bigger because the fish was so tender. I felt that the flavors did not fully develop in the dish, and I found myself wanting a little more seasoning. Some of the potato chunks were cut too small as well, and as a result were a bit overcooked and crispy for the dish. The ones that were the right size however tasted very good and had a buttery texture to it. Spinach, really no complaints here, the leaves were robust and not at all wilted. More fresh ingredients, I love it!
Ashley: The dessert was my second favorite part of the meal--after the appetizer. I got the homemade tiramisu, and everything about it was just right! It wasn't an overwhelming attack of sweetness. The coffee flavor was perfect, and the cake layer was just the right level of sponginess. Would highly recommend trying their homemade tiramisu! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Stephen: The torta della nona really hit the spot. I'm generally not a fan of sweets and pastries and usually never order dessert but since this meal came with it, I gave it a try. The portion size was perfect for me but it could understandably be deemed a bit too small. I usually make a measure of how good a certain pastry is by the quality of its crust, and the torta here passed with flying colors. It was rich and thick without being crumbly and tasted very satisfying. I definitely appreciate the lemon zest in this pastry which gave it that lemony flavor without any of the tartness. The dessert also avoids being too sweet and may convert me to ordering desserts more regularly in the future. This treat is a great way to end the meal.
Da' Pasquale Trattoria is a great Italian dining experience located close to Century City Mall and begs you to become part of their family with their great service, food, and environment. While their main courses were a bit underseasoned during our visit, the ingredients were fresh and their plating is inspired which shows that their hearts are in the right place. Their owner deserves special recognition as well. He really makes you feel welcome in the restaurant and is very passionate. Because food was coming pretty slow that night, we saw him go to tables that have been waiting a while and apologize for the wait. Ashley and I agree that we would wholeheartedly come back for more in the future.
Happy eating!
-STASH
0 comments:
Post a Comment