$45 4-Course Menu at Scarpetta, Every Day

Were you excited about Scarpetta's $45 DineLA menu? Are you bummed you missed it? If you answer yes to either of those, you might want to know that Scarpetta's had a $45 4-course prix fixe menu for a while now and is continuing it after DineLA.

I'll say it again: you can get a 4 course meal at Scarpetta for $45 any day.

All meals start with a bread basket that many consider to be the best in LA. Do try the Stromboli (they have a vegetarian version with broccolini which is equally delicious).

Now, on to the prix fixe menu. There are two options for each course, which will change seasonally. When I went last month the first course option included:

Tuscan Kale, red quinoa, medjool dates, and pecorino romano

It's hard to beat a well done kale salad, and this is definitely one of them.

The other options is a Braised Short Rib of Beef, vegetable, and farro risotto

It's certainly a heavier appetizer, but they were both good and will satisfy whichever mood you're in.

The second course is the pasta, or "Paste":
Spinach Pappardelle, housemade duck sausage ragu, morel mushrooms, and ramps

Mushroom Agnolotti, white corn, red wine reduction

Both house made pasta was excellent and al dente and I loved the earthiness of the mushroom in both. Again, I would be happy with either of them.

The main entree of "Piatti" choices included:
Imported Turbot, caramelized cauliflower, mushrooms, pearl onions, pickled ramps

Porchetta, rosemary braised lentils, pickled onions

While the first two dishes included a vegetarian option, the piatti is more pescatarian. I really liked the delicate turbot, which was cooked just right and was moist and flaky. On the other hand, porchetta and cherries, how can you go wrong? Everything was done very well here and all the proteins were cooked perfectly.

The two dessert/Dolce options included a richer Bicerin Parfait with praline, coffee gelato, baci di dama

Now Bicerin is a traditional drink of Turin, Italy made of espresso, chocolate, and milk. This one is of course an interpretation of it made into a cold "parfait."
Coconut Panna Cotta, guava "soup", and caramelized pineapple

This is one of my favorite desserts in town, so I was really happy to see it on the menu. As much as I love chocolate, I somehow preferred this creamy panna cotta and the refreshing tropical flavors.

We also had some good wine and cocktails. One of their mainstay and most popular cocktails was the San Remo with Carpano Antica, Campari, elderflower liqueur, and a splash of Maker's Mark.

The new cocktail menu is coming out next Thursday, so stay tuned.

So the $45 menu is awesome, but if this is your first time at Scarpetta, there are two dishes you should consider trying: Creamy polenta with fricassee of truffled mushrooms, and of course the famous spaghetti with tomato and basil!

The $45 4-course menu at Scarpetta is a deal and there's no reason to wait for DineLA to try Scarpetta. It's affordable any day and I think you'd be happy with any dish you choose.

Scarpetta (at The Montage Beverly Hills)
225 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 860-7800
http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/beverly-hills-restaurants.php