By Amanda Cushman Simple Real Food
I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A FABULOUS Italian place to eat here in Los Angeles. I don’t mean the trendy, overpriced restaurants where they have pizza and pasta for $15 or $20. I mean authentic Italian cuisine that highlights simple food with as little done to it as possible. I am from the east coast where there are a plethora of such eating establishments and it is a joy to sit down and delve into a beautiful branzino bathed in herbs and olive oil accompanied by broccoli rabe with garlic.
Imagine my surprise when finding out about Piccolo. I have heard about it for a number of years but actually “discovered” it while walking down the Venice boardwalk with my husband and wandering down the Dudley alleyway to find a place for a glass of wine.
We were lucky to get there at the moment when they were not full and sat down to enjoy wine, appetizers and the best homemade bread I have had in a restaurant in a while. It was served with amazing olive oil from Sicily (I asked) that was addictive. I could have dipped my napkin in it and enjoyed it just as much.
We had perfect service, attentive and present but not over-bearing and both ordered a salad of grilled eggplant served over some sautéed greens with warm chevre on top. It was wonderful and just the right portion. We then tried a grilled calamari that was cooked just right. This is a seafood that is often over-looked except in the traditional version of fried calamari and can be quite tough if not cooked properly. This was exquisite with a hint of smoky flavor and drizzled with that same olive oil.
The place is very small and fairly romantic and there are lovely traditional paintings of Italian country scenes and crisp white cloths on each table. I was most impressed with the service as there were a number of people making sure you had what you needed.
It was casual to the point of jeans and flip flops, which I find quite off-putting but have to remember that in Venice and the Westside this is often considered acceptable.
I heard from a friend that the place was too small and because it was close to the beach it was very breezy — both comments I didn’t quite relate to.
We were not in the market for dinner as we had only gone out for a sunset stroll, so we vowed to come back and hope to experience another delicious meal at Piccolo.
If you would like to try a quick and easy pasta dish that is delicious, the following recipe will be a hit with your friends and family.
AMANDA CUSHMAN is a culinary educator who has cooked professionally for 25 years. She teaches privately for groups of two to 20 students. She has developed hundreds of recipes for cookbooks as well as food magazines and Web sites. She
Pasta with ricotta salata Serves 4 Ingredients 1/4 pound ricotta salata, freshly grated 2 small red chili peppers, seeded and minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 small bunch Italian parsley, chopped 1/2 cup oil-cured olives, pitted, chopped 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt 1 pound small shaped pasta Procedure 1. Combine the cheese, chili pepper, garlic, parsley, olives, olive oil and a pinch of salt in a medium serving bowl. 2. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and add to the serving bowl and toss well.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 18, 2008. Read the original PDF.