From the moment we walked up, the host team greeted us with so many smiles and such great energy…read more Katie introduced herself as the GM, was right there welcoming incoming guests herself. It was a BUSY Saturday night, we had no reservation, and the bar was packed... but divine timing somehow worked in our favor and two seats opened up right at the end of the bar.
That's where we met Nick behind the bar, and honestly, he made the night.
Nick was working the service well, taking care of a packed bar and banging out beautifully curated cocktails. I still don't know how he was that efficient while also taking the time to walk us through the entire menu. You could tell he genuinely took pride in the food he was describing and wanted us to experience it.
I started with the Mezcal Negroni and from there we decided on a few small bites.
First, the ricotta gnudi... perfectly fried and warm with just the right bite on the outside, then you break into this warm, soft little pillow of ricotta that was an absolute flavor bomb. Finished with freshly shaved Parmesan on top. I swear for a second I thought I was sitting somewhere on the water in Italy.
Then the Scotch bonnet egg... WOW... truly every dish was just mind blowing ...all this dishes we ate....Nothing overpowered anything else. Every bite mattered. You could actually taste every layer and every little detail that went into all the dishes.
Then came the beef tartare. Beautifully presented with the green crab purée in the center and crispy chips for that perfect crunch. Katie came over herself to explain the dish, and once you got everything together in one bite... absolute flavor explosion. Rich, bright, creamy, salty, crunchy. Everything on that plate had a purpose.
We were also told we HAD to try the sweet corn agnolotti and THANK GOD we listened. Another complete flavor bomb. Absolutely amazing. It genuinely gives some of my favorite Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills El Baldi a run for their money.
At this point Nick basically said, "Trust me," and asked if he could choose our next course.
YES. PLEASE.
Out came this gorgeous lamb sausage with fresh greens, snap peas, mint, dill, pickled vegetables and this beautiful creamy green sauce underneath. THAT DISH. The sausage was rich, perfectly cooked and packed with flavor, but all those fresh herbs, greens and acidity made the entire plate feel bright and balanced. Hearty and comforting while somehow still tasting fresh and light.
Then Nick convinced us to put our trust in him one last time and let him choose dessert.
He brought out the bread pudding and I am not exaggerating when I say it was the PERFECT ending to this entire food adventure. I literally had tears in my eyes.
The food, the cocktails, the service, the salt water in the air, the smiles from the staff... everything just came together.....Nothing was pretentious. Everything was highly elevated while still having this incredible sense of warmth and comfort. It almost felt like being welcomed into someone's home and they just happened to be cooking some of the best food you've ever eaten.
Huge shoutout to GM Katie and bartender Nick. Thank you both for giving us one of the most amazing and memorable dining experiences I've ever had.
We walked in on a packed Saturday night without a reservation, just hoping to grab a couple seats, have a cocktail and eat something good... and walked out feeling like we had experienced something really special.
10/10. Every bite. Every cocktail.
Every detail. I would go back in a heartbeat.