Oak Street Ranch

Amarone! That's Italian!

Amarone Kitchen and Wine
8868 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood 90069At N Sierra Dr

What It Is: A tiny italian restaurant hidden away next to a tattoo parlor on Sunset and N. Sierra.
What You Get: Authentic tasting northern Italian cuisine.
What You Should Know: First - quality like this doesn't come cheap. Second - This isn't a place you run into and grab a bite to eat on the way to the movies. This is destination dining. This IS your plan for the evening!

As you enter the restaurant, your first thought will be - Where's the rest of it?
Whitewashed walls, wine bottles lining one side, room for approximately 5 two-top tables in front, and room for several more upstairs. A "cozy" space.
Quickly seated, you're presented with the substantial wine list. Menus arrive along with fresh baked breads and a small antipasti platter.

I'll fast forward through the pace of the evening, but let me say that the timing of the evening was unrushed and paced for lingering. Not unlike most meals I had while in Rome or Florence.
Not to say that service was inattentive. Plates were promptly replaced, glasses refilled or removed, and a consistent presence to check on the status of the evening.

Orders are eventually placed after some wine is selected.
I had the Prosciutto e Burrata: burrata cheese with imported prosciutto and marinated roasted peppers. Soft, fresh burrata, flavorful, melt-in-your mouth prosciutto.

Others enjoyed the Carpaccio di Manzo: beef carpaccio with marinated mushrooms, capers, grana padano cheese and mustard sauce. Incredibly thin, tasty, great presentation.

The evening could have ended with this, and the wine, and it would still rank as a great dinner evening.

As main courses: Rigatoni freschi alla Bolognese: homemade fresh rigatoni bolognese style with meat ragu. The pasta is served al-dente, and the sauce...sings. Delicious.

Penne alla Salsiccia: homemade fresh penne with sausage ragu and shaved air-dried ricotta. I'm not suggesting you should cry when a meal is served... but....
Al dente penne with a sweet and spicy sauce.
Note - this is not Olive Garden. Portions are also provided in traditional European sizes... pasta is served for individual consumption, not in a trough.
The veal chop looked delicious as well.

Other tables had some fine choices, which I look forward to going back and checking out.
There are several exceptional italian restaurants in LA, which are preparing food that stands head and shoulders above the rest. (Regular readers will know of my affection for La Botte in Santa Monica).

Let me say - this place joins that heady group.
If you do a web search for this restaurant, you'll find plenty of blogs and reviews that fawn over it. I am always skeptical.
Here and now, I'll tell you - from this eveing's experience - Everything you've heard is true.

That's Italian!

posted by Mitch @ 11:26 PM