*Sung in the style of 'The Worst Pies in London" from Sweeney Todd because pasta is worth singing about, okay?*
Alimento
My boyfriend, Sam, and I went to Alimento last Friday, and it cemented its spot as my favorite pasta place in Los Angeles. It may have been a bad idea to write this right now because I'm hungry (and my stomach is eating itself as a result of this blog), but when I'm hungry and want comfort, I think of the Chicken Liver Crostone and Casarecce at Alimento.
Literally, I have dreams about the Chicken Liver Crostone. It's a little bit salty, a little bit sweet, and so flavorful. Plus, it has the perfect texture, and the bread is to die for. Sam and I lick the plate (I wish I was kidding).
The pasta is fresh and has a great bite and the flavors of the sauce on the Casarecce are so delicate and tasty, which balances perfectly with the cheese -- THE CHEESE.
Sam usually orders the Radiatori, which has a unique, drool-inducing flavor. Something about how the fennel pollen combines with that savory sausage just hits different.
This time, he got the Tortellini en Brodo, which was rich without being overpowering and so delicious I even traded some of my Casarecce for some bites. We've gotten other things on the menu, and they're good, but the Chicken Liver Crostone and the various pastas are where it's at.
Uovo
Uovo is part of the Sushi Nozawa Group that operates Sugarfish, KazuNori, and HiHo Cheeseburger.
I don't know how they do it, but every restaurant these guys open is delicious.
Uovo pasta makes my personal list of the best pasta in LA because it not only has the best Cacio e Pepe I've had outside of Rome, but also has multiple locations and an affordable tasting menu where you can get pasta, pasta, and more pasta for just over $30. Oh yeah, you also get a tiramisu!
I always take my out-of-town guests (see also: my mom) here to impress them. There are locations all over LA (see also: close to the airport), so it's usually easy to get in and out when you need to.
Sam and I went to The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and got the tasting menu at the Uovo nearby, and it was a perfect day/date.
Special shoutout to Paradocs Coffee and Tea in Little Ethiopia because Uovo's one flaw is its lack of espresso for dessert.
P.S. The pasta is so good because they ship it in direct from Italy! They also know what they're doing with the sauce -- and they make it in saucepans right in front of you.
HiPPO
A night or two before we went to HiPPO, we went to a brand new Italian restaurant in South Pasadena where it was practically impossible to get a reservation, the service was terrible, and they oversold the Michelin-starred chef. I don't want to name names, but it was Piccolo.
Anyways, soon after, we went to HiPPO with some friends. The menus were practically the same, but HiPPO did literally everything better. The cocktails and mock-tails were super yummy, they did something miraculous with vegetables with the Cool Wax Beans (pictured), and I think Sam had a love affair with his Herbed Ricotta Tortellini.
My friend, Bijan, ordered the Cedar Smoked Ocean Trout, and both the tortellini and the trout were LEAGUES ABOVE the fig and potato tortellini and Trota Alla Griglia at Piccolo. I got the Tagliolini, and it was pretty rich and delicious but a waste of duck in my opinion (ground duck is weird; don't @ me).
Pasta is house-made and A+. HiPPO also stands for Highland Park Post Office, which is what the restaurant was before it became a haven for tasty pasta. The local haunt honors its history and is happy to collaborate with its "friends and neighbors," and enrich the neighborhood, so you can feel good about eating here, too.
Accepting Pasta Recs
If I didn't list your favorite pasta place, it's not personal! These are just my top 3, and I might not have eaten there...yet.
Feel free to send me a message via my contact form or an email at loganrosereadsandwrites at gmail dot com to talk all things pasta.
Seriously, I want your recommendations.
Also, if you want to see more of the places I like eating in LA, subscribe to my website so you get an email every time I post a blog (I'm still figuring this feature out, so my apologies for any glitches in the Matrix).
Commentaires