Traverse through Italy at A1 Cucina Italiana (Beverly Hills)

The old Il Buco space on Robertson Blvd, owned by Giacomino Drago, is now A1 Cucina Italiana, a restaurant celebrating rustic dishes from various regions of Italy. The restaurant is named after Italy's first highway, Autostrada 1, and run by LA restaurant veteran Danilo Terribili and chef Freddy Escobar who has worked for him at other restaurants including Alto Palato. (Terribili is a photographer too and the restaurant is decorated with his works.)

Danilo Terribili and Freddy Escobar

For appetizers, creamy DiStefano burrata is served with eggplant, onions, tomato, and fennel pollen ragu ($13) - both excellent and unusual (for LA). A1 doesn't shy away from spicy flavors as evidenced by the sauteed squid with caramelized onions and cannelini beans. Similarly, the Coste Pizza with swiss chard, mozzarella, pine nuts, and guanciale are also topped with calabrian hot peppers ($15).

A1 has some pretty unique offerings that you can find in the daily special menu. There's porchetta on Saturdays, oxtail stew on Tuesdays, and veal kidneys on Sundays. If you like tripe, you really have to go on a Monday and get their Trippa alla Romana (stewed beef tripe, tomato, herbs, and pecorino, $17) - the picture below shows half of the regular portion as your waiter would actually divide and serve the dishes on your individual plates

If you normally don't like tripe because it's chewy, all the more reason to try this stew, as the tripe was soft.

My staple order at Italian restaurants is the pappardelle with lamb ragu. At A1 this is done Neapolitan style with the lamb cooked for hours then shredded ($16) - again, the picture below shows half the portion

Swiss chard ravioli in sage butter sauce

Don't miss the meat entrees here either, like the sauteed lamb chops, roasted shallots, oyster mushrooms ($23)

The lamb chops might have been one of the ones I've had recently. They were perfectly cooked and amazingly tender.

For dessert, you have to try the Zuppa Inglese. This is a dessert I have not seen anywhere else before, but if you like tiramisu you will love this. Although the name meant "English soup" the dessert is actually a homemade pan di spagna with Alchermes liqueur (a hard-to-find Italian herbal/spice liqueur), cream, and chocolate ($9)

The cake had been soaked with the alchermes then layered with the cream and chocolate in between. I really liked the spice notes from the liqueur. Apparently Italians make this cake for their kids' birthdays all the time. Lucky them.

You can get good wines for under $10 a glass here including a Negroamaro from Puglia for $8. They also have a couple of nice beers and pairing suggestions (they suggest Allagash Dubbel with the pappardelle). The location being what it is, A1 is not a place you would randomly walk into, but their daily special menu would keep me coming back. I still have to try the veal kidney, for one, and I'm already looking forward to a Monday night with a bowl of trippa alla Romana and a zuppa Inglese to finish.

Read SIV's LA Times review of A1.

 A1 Cucina Italiana
107 N Robertson Blvd
 Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 657-1345
a1la.com


Disclosure: this meal was hosted

Little Cave Reborn as La Cuevita (Highland Park)

What used to be a divey gothic bar called Little Cave is now La Cuevita, a tequila and mezcal-focused bar modeled after a "Mexican Grotto", making Highland Park a little more interesting. The dimly lit interior is adorned with various artifacts the owners of the 1933 group found in Mexico, along with bat papier-maches and paintings made by a local artist. For a quieter evening, some seats are available outdoors by the entrance.

One wall featured shelves of their mezcal collection, which may not be as extensive as La Guelaguetza or Las Perlas but impressive nonetheless. There are of course, a line of Del Maguey mezcals (from the lower end to the $40-a-shot-Pechuga), which I'm more or less familiar with, but there also Los Nuhuales, Don Amado, and other names I wasn't familiar with.

The cocktail menu is devised by Jared Mort from Oldfield's Liquor Room, another 1933 Group bar.

My favorite of the cocktails was the Mole Manhattan ($12) made with Old Overholt Rye, Carpano Antica, Cointreau, Creme de Cacao, Chocolate Chili bitters and Hellfire bitters. It's a tad sweet and chocolatey, but don't be fooled, this drink can knock you down.

The Jalapeno Margarita ($10) is my next favorite with Tanteo Jalapeno tequila, honey, grapefruit juice, lime, and cilantro.


The Mezcalada ($8) is an interesting take on the Michelada with roasted poblano peppers, clamato, Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Corona, lime, and house smoked salt rim. Despite the peppers and the mezcal, this didn't have as strong a flavor as the Micheladas I've had before, though. The Glutster told them so and he's hoping they would use a smokier mezcal (or just more mezcal) later.

There's usually no food here, but on Tuesday nights they bring in a taquero to whip up some carne asada, carnitas, and chicken tacos - and they're actually pretty good.

La Cuevita 
5922 North Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90024 (Highland Park)
323-255-6871
http://www.lacuevitabar.com/

Disclosure: this visit was a hosted media preview 

Spring at Sadie: New Chef, New Menu, New Cocktails (Hollywood)

I had pretty recently blogged about Sadie, which opened in the former Les Deux space, but after that visit the then-executive-chef had left and Mark Gold from Eva Restaurant had taken over as a consulting chef. That means a repeat visit was in order and Chef Gold's new spring menu was the perfect reason for it.

While waiting for others to arrive for a media tasting, we explored the new cocktails from bartender Giovanni Martinez. Some of the cocktails remain the same but there were plenty of new ones.
If you like frothy cocktails with egg whites you will love the Pantera Rosa ($12) with Aperol, Beefeater 24 Gin, homemade vanilla syrup, lemon juice and egg whites.

After we were seated, we started the dinner with another cocktail, the Temperado: cachaca, Avion Silver tequila, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeno. If you are one of those who are averse to cilantro, you may think this drink "tastes like a spa", but the little hint of cilantro with the spicy jalapeno made this cocktail just a tad savory, enough to open the way to our dinner.

Our courses were paired with either cocktail or beer, and all of the pairings were done by Gio.

To start our meal, a small portion of the Little Gem salad with a wonderfully creamy green garlic dressing topped with a piece of crispy ham

Then, an Organic (duck) Egg, representing "spring"

You may think it's strange that I'm raving about an egg but this was unbelievably good. It had such a strong flavor that the stalk of spring onion helped restrain. This egg is on the menu for $6 and I would be perfectly happy to sit at the bar and eat this with a cocktail any day. Maybe even today!

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