almost coast to coast
My mother and I came here for a special occasion after reading about it in the restaurant edition of Angeleno and it was a perfect meal. We had a 6 o’clock reservation, early enough that it was still quiet and we got to ask a million questions of our simply wonderful server. I would suggest going earlier because the longer we sat, the louder it became. Besides, when you get there earlier, you can still hear the charming background music, including songs by Edward Sharpe and Zooey Deschanel. There are four seating options. You can sit in the general area, made up of tables or semi booth seating. You can sit in the semi-outdoor shaded eating area. You can sit at the bar, looking in on the wide selection of mixed drinks being whipped up while the wine is selected behind you. Or you can sit at a high top community table and look in on the kitchen into the activity of the chefs and the generations old pizza oven.
The menu is divided into five main sections: small, medium, large, pasta, and pizza. The smalls are a snack, two mediums make a meal and the larges are enough for a meal alone. The pasta dishes are medium sized and the pizza are big enough to share but can be eaten alone.
As a small and a starter, we shared a chickpea panelle with lemon and ragusano cheese.
We couldn’t help taking a bite before snapping a photo. These are made up of chickpea flour that is then made into wonton-like strips (though that doesn’t quite describe it either), seasoned with parsley and rosemary, then quickly deep fried. They’re drizzled with lemon and topped with cheese then they’re sent out, piping hot and absolutely delicious. They were like nothing I have ever tasted. They’re not at all greasy but light, and they melt in your mouth.
We then got the grilled pork meatballs as our first medium.
They’re grilled in lemon leaves then placed on a bed of dressed snap peas and bitter greens with grated hard boiled egg. Each week, the restaurant gets a whole pig which they then transform into all the pork dishes on the menu. We found out from our waitress that they put cheese milk soaked bread in with the pork, which helps make the meatballs so tender and flavorful. They were simply perfect; crispy on the outside, delicate and light on the inside.
Then we had our second mediums which made up our main. We got the grilled mackerel in scapece (a vinegary marinade) on top of cauliflower, cured lemon, crispy buckwheat, and pesto pantesca.
The vinegar dressing on the fish balanced out the salty, heavy taste that mackerel is known for. Then the chefs managed to create this wonderfully crunchy and flavorful concoction beneath the fish. Then we got the maharrones de pungiu.
I had never heard of this pasta before. It’s similar to gnocchi except it’s pasta instead of potato. They roll the pasta along a cheese grater to create the dotted texture you see, which causes the sauce to really grab the pasta (all the pasta and bread is made in house, by the way). The sauce was a simple tomato sauce, rich but not too heavy, topped with shredded fiore sardo cheese which is a bit sharp in taste and provides a nice contrast.
We were so happily full and contented we only had coffee for dessert, even after looking at their impressive menu. All in all, the experience was wonderful. They aren’t trying to change the face of food, they’re just making really great food.
Price range it’s the kind of place you go for a special occasion, but the food also warrants that respect.
9575 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Lunch: Tuesday through Fri 12-2:30pm
Dinner: Tuesday through Sunday starting at 5:30pm
Here’s the info about the dish that made them featured in Angelino: http://www.thefeast.com/losangeles/Breaking-Angeleno-Magazine-Releases-Annual-Best-Restaurant-List-124390829.html
http://www.sottorestaurant.com/
This recipe is taken from the Silver Palate Cookbook. My family has had our copy for so long that the spine is falling apart, but it’s more a sign of love than age. While there are a lot of great recipes in the cookbook, this is probably the most popular.
Named after the style of chicken made in a small town on the Mediterranean coast in Spain, this chicken makes for a great summer meal. I’ve made some minor alterations because the original recipe was rather fancy, but the original can easily be found online if you’re more of a purist. The recipe emphasizes how important it is to marinate the chicken overnight. It also comments (and it was my experience as well) that the cooked chicken gets better after sitting in the fridge for a day or two. Makes 10 or more portions, but the recipe is easy to divide if needed.
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds of chicken (or 4 chickens, quartered)
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Directions
1. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans (I used an inch deep pyrex baking dish) and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.
4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.
5. Place chicken away on stovetop away from heat to cool to your preferred temperature and enjoy!
If you have a lot of leftovers and don’t want to transfer everything to containers, you can store the chicken in the pan by simply covering the top with tin foil. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving and spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.
