Pardon The Punctuation...In a city filled with overrated restaurants where it seems all a chef needs to be considered successful is a sleeve tattoo, sits a gem of an italian restaurant "La Dolce Vita." A favorite hangout of old blue eyes himself...if you don't know who old blue eyes is then you need to stop reading this right now and google it..there is a charm about this place that takes you back to the days when service at a restaurant actually mattered more than your waiters handlebar mustache. My waiter Maurilio was outstanding. I felt like Frank Sinatra the service was so good. Walk through the door and you are taken back in time...in a good way. The northern italian menu is made from scratch and the flavors reflect that. Here's what I had.
Caprese Salad: This is your traditional caprese salad with some of the freshest mozzarella I've ever had. The aged balsamic vinegar makes all of the difference in this dish and really elevated it.
Polpette De Vitello: slow cooked veal meatballs with spaghetti tossed in a basil marinara sauce. From scratch is the key here. Everything tastes like there's an old italian lady in the back chopping tomatoes. The meatballs are as good as it can get and the basil marinara is chunky and loaded with flavor...my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Steak Sinatra: USDA prime 8oz. filet mignon with sauteed peppers and a rich chianti demi glace. How can you not order a dish that has Sinatra's name on it? I felt like if I didn't order it someone with a pinky ring would make if an offer I couldn't refuse. The steak was perfectly cooked. Tender, juicy, and medium rare as hell. Quality beef and TLC are prevalent throughout the dish. The sauteed peppers were a nice touch and the chianti sauce brought everything together.
Panna Cotta: Served with fresh berries. Not too sweet and the texture of it was perfect. I shit you not this is the best panna cotta I've had in Los Angeles.
Tiramisu: Made fresh in house and tastes like it. Having worked at a great italian restaurant in Miami in my younger days I'm kind of a critic of tiramisu...not to kick a dead horse but also the best tiramisu I've had in Los Angeles. The right amount of moisture in the cake and none of the flavors are too overpowering. Could have eaten seven of these.
Whether you're looking for a great date spot or just some amazing italian food, La Dolce Vita does it right. From the service to the food and even the ambiance...you can't go wrong dining here. The food is not cheap by any means but it's definitely worth every penny. Sorry for the dark pictures guys but I did not want to disrupt the ambiance and spirit of Sinatra with my camera flash.
