Redondo Beach: Hostaria Piave

Redondo beach is by no means a town to seek new culinary adventure. That said, it doesn't mean you can't find a decent Italian establishment that is true to its origin. Hostaria Piave, is that hidden gem on the over exposed PCH.

Along with the charming Northern Italian country deco and ultra friendly staffs, Hostaria's got great wine and food selections that are suitable for sharing among friends or with that intimate someone. The food, as many reputable places would serve their food in Europe, taste good and light with simple local fresh ingredients that are still substantially flavorful. The dishes here are complement with good wines. Some of the highlights of our evening were: the daily selections of Antipasto Plate (13), beef tortellini in clear broth (8), braised duck leg gnocchi (15, as an entree), fresh sardines homemade pasta (9), braised cuttlefish on soft polenta (18, love the texture of the polenta!), roasted pork shank (16), and lastly the not so shabby desserts.

With its growing local and outer town clientele, an advanced reservation is recommended.










Hostaria Piave
hostariapiave.com | 231 S Pacific Coast Hwy Redondo Beach, CA 90277 - map | menu | (310) 374-1000

Downtown LA: Drago Centro

When it comes to Italian restaurants in downtown, there is the Colori Kitchen for a quick fix, Bottega Louie for people watching, and then there is Drago Centro for fancier occasions.

Drago Centro's interior is spacious with fairly modern decor. Whether you're in for a good date or some food club get together, Drago Centro has it covered. The service at DC is consistently excellent; the servers are quite knowledgeable with the menu and the dishes served. Some dishes can be split into smaller portions for your sharing pleasure.

By looking at the presentations, there is no doubt they take their food seriously. Although we have had some overly seasoned pastas, overall, the dishes are recommendable and worth revisiting.










tasting menu









Drago Centro
dragocentro.com | 525 S Flower St Ste 120 Los Angeles, CA 90071 - map | menu | (213) 228-8998

Idyllwild: Cafe Aroma

In a small town 5000+ feet high amidst the San Jacinto mountains, whether you're in it for a romantic getaway or a change of scenery, Cafe Aroma and Italian cuisine sound like good times. Over 120 people on Yelp sure seem to think so.





At Cafe Aroma, you have the option to sit in the main dining room, with live music and lively crowds, or you could be seated in the library room. Yes, with books.



Attentive service with a big smile and bread with olive oil heavy on crushed raw garlic make it very Italian. You could always ask for more bread, but it was dry on the second batch and I don't think it's the thin air.




Shrimp Martini ($10) is an updated take on the shrimp cocktail with its three layered sauce, consisting of shrimp cocktail, horseradish, and pesto. Topped with a pitted olive, it's a good looking martini and works well on five very fresh jumbo prawns.



The Steamed Clams (14), the special appetizer of the day, were wonderfully topped with avocado, tomato, lemon, and bacon bits.



The tequila infused sauce was so good and suddenly a clam spoon was born.




Though the two pasta dishes, Shrimp Arrabbiata (18) and Meatballs Spaghetti (10), had decent flavor profiles, ultimately the pastas were overlooked and the softies couldn't quite match the high notes the starters were hitting.



For dessert, the Apple Sorbet (4) tasted like a good cup of hot apple cider hit by liquid nitrogen. It turned out to be a good palate cleanser.



Overall, it was a pleasant experience that left us wanting more in the end, though it doesn't hurt when you are in a vacation kind of mode.


Cafe Aroma
cafearoma.org | 54750 N Circle Dr., Idyllwild, CA 92549 - menu | map | (951) 659-5212