Yum to the Third Power

Photo Courtesy of BeverlyHillsPeople.com

As of yesterday, it had been a week since I'd eaten a carb. I needed bread bad. Really bad. So I did what any resourceful Jew would do and organized an end of Passover get together so that I could eat large amounts of pasta and pizza with other people, blaming the "company" for my insatiable hunger.

CUBE seemed like the perfect locale and the menu was ripe with carbs ready for the picking. Unfortunately, I was so focused on eating a piece of bread that I forgot my camera, so please let your imagination run free. Note that CUBE is very close to, but has yet to secure a liquor/wine license. For the time being it is BYOB, and they do not charge corkage.

OUR MENU:
Crostini ($6.95)
Tomato, Olive and White Bean - very yummy, a good start

Roasted Garlic Pesto w/ Gorgonzola & Walnuts ($11.95)
Delicious! The pizza was a thin crust, very moist and fresh dough. The cheese was really top notch; great flavor.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli w/ Sun Dried Tomato Sauce ($12.95)
This came at the waiter's recommendation and was very good. The sauce was a cream base, but not heavy at all.

Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Arugula ($12.95)
I think they made the mozzarella in the back - so creamy it melted in my mouth! The Proscuitto was also fantastic. A very simple but tasty dish.

Four Cheese Mac & Cheese ($6.95)
Lots of flavor, I just wish it was crispy on top. It's a side dish, but certainly enough for one person.

Russian Kale $4.95
Not on the regular menu but they had it in house. Lightly crisped, salty, yum!

Tartufo $4.95
I like mine with a hard chocolate shell, but this was pretty yummy. Rich cocoa coating, coffee and liquor gelato center.

The meal started with complimentary flat bread (like pizza dough) which was great. We were also given two small plates with an assortment of 3 cheeses (about an ounce each), dried cranberries (or currants?) and cashews. The presentation was very nice as the plates were slate so the cheese names were written on the plate itself with chalk. We had a Tilamook, A Cows Milk Cheese and one other that I can't remember. I'll blame it on the wine.

The ambiance and service was really top notch. Our waiter understood that we were in no rush and let us be for about an hour until we ordered our main course. At one point, my friend Sam walked down the street to buy another bottle of wine because we wanted to keep the party going. In fact, we were the last table to leave that night, after the chefs, after the lights went off, after all the other tables were set for the next day. I honestly felt like I was in Europe and was sipping wine and eating great Italian food on my own clock, not feeling rushed by any of the waitstaff. I recommend CUBE to anyone who loves good food. It's by no means pretenious, despite its list of over 80 cheeses (I plan to go back to sample some of these when they get their wine license).

This is a restaurant that appreciates good food, and taking the time to enjoy it.

CUBE
615 N. La Brea
Los Angeles, 90036
(323) 939-1148
$$

Something Old and Something New

When you're craving Italian food, here are a couple fantastic options. One is old, one is new, both are worth a return visit.


Dominick's Restaurant used to be favorite of Frank Sinatra, and now enjoys frequent visits from Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland. But it really isn't about the eye candy (although it doesn't hurt). The menu features classic Italian American fare such as fried rice balls and Veal Parmesan. Must haves include the Spaghetti and Meatballs, Grilled Artichoke, Hanger Steak and Gelato Trio (I lucked out with Coffee, Mint Chip and Brown Sugar - it changes every night).

But the thing that makes Dominick's unique and user-friendly is their Sunday Supper. For $15, enjoy a 3 Course Menu and for an extra $10 share a bottle of their very own white or red wine. The portions are plenty big and the atmosphere is quite romantic. On a nice night, request the patio, complete with fire place and terracotta galore. You'll swear you died and went to Italy.

Dominick's Restaurant
8715 Beverly Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 652-6335
$$-$$$




There's nothing like gourmet pizza to make you feel a little less guilty for eating bread and cheese. Thanks to chefs and co-owners Mario Batali (the red-head from the Food Network) and Nancy Silverton, formerly of Campanile, pizza has never tasted so good. Pizzeria Mozza, located on Melrose and Highland, and serving hot pies until midnight, is so good you could almost convince yourself to go twice in one week. Heck, with over 15 pizzas to choose from, you wouldn't even have to be a repeat offender.

But let's start at the beginning, shall we? The restaurant takes reservations, but if you're feeling risky, just drop in as it's first-come-first-serve at the counter. I prefer this view as you get an upfront seat at the brick oven, viewing the pizzas in all stages of creation (not to mention giving you a chance to window shop before you buy). Prior to the main course, I recommend partaking in one of the starters. Nancy's Chopped Salad is wonderful, and any of the bruschettas will leave you ready for more. If you're overwhelmed with the pizza options, you can't go wrong with either the Funghi misti, fontina, taleggio & thyme or the Prosciutto di Parma, rucola & mozzarella. I beg you, save room for dessert. And if you don't have room, make it. One of the best desserts I've ever had was at Mozza. Of course, I can't remember the name of the dish, but it included two scoops of caramel gelato, marshmallow fluff (for lack of a better term) and caramelized salted peanuts.

A moment of silence, please.

Thank g-d for Italians. Stay tuned for Osteria Mozza, coming soon, complete with its very own mozzarella bar.


Pizzeria Mozza
641 North Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 2970-0101
$$-$$$