Taglioni al’Ortica – hand-cut stinging nettle pasta, mushroom ragu, poached farm egg, fried nettles
To say that Bestia is the hottest restaurant in LA right now is an understatement.
Just try showing up last minute (like we did) and see what happens when you ask how long the wait is for a table.
“We’re sold out”
“So, think something would open up in an hour or so?”
“We’re sold out all night“.
It was silly of us to think we could show up at a peak dining hour to LA’s most talked about restaurant and finagle ourselves a table.
The hostess eyed the crisp $5 bill we were waving in front of her face with boredom. We told her there was at least one more where that came from.
Anyways, she pointed to two spots at the bar which were empty and said “You’d better take those now”.
So glad we did. Only two other spots opened up at the bar the entire time we were there (about 2.5 hours).
People crowded behind us, waiting to snag our spots. When I stood up to stretch and sat back down again, I heard a half dozen hopes fall.
My friend Clyde says this is his favorite new restaurant. But what does he know?
The highlights were the most popular pasta on the menu, the Cavatelli alla Norcina. The sausage and truffles proved a rich and decadent pairing. I wouldn’t dream of separating those two again. This is a perfect sharing dish.
The meatballs were an accidental order thrown our way. I would definitely recomend.
The pizza was super flavorful. Crust was more chewy than crispy and the sparse use of the homemade ‘Nduja (spreadable salami) was much appreciated.
They make all their cured meats in house (which, you kind of have to do these days if you’re an Italian restaurant worth your sea salt) so make sure to order things in that contain them.
Make sure you order the chocolate budino tart or I’ll be pissed. I want another one right now, in fact. Order an extra one for me the next time you go and I promise I’ll pay you back.
Please note: this place is located in a lonely, desolate part of downtown. Supposedly the Arts District, but your GPS is going to seemingly take you away from all that you know to the dark unknown. That’s how you know you’re almost to Bestia.
2121 E 7th Pl
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 514-5724
http://www.bestiala.com/
Cocktail – “Sling”
Salumi Platter – small
Kale Salad – caper-anchovy vinaigrette, purple kale, endive, pecorino toscano, breadcrumbs
Little Gems – walnut vinaigrette, housemade ricotta salata, compressed radishes
Pork Meatballs, braised beet greens, soffritto, tomato
Pizza Alla’nduja – housemade spicy ‘nduja (spreadable salami) san marzano tomatoes, mozarella, wild arugula
Fusilli Lunghi al Sugo di Cinghiale – hand-rolled pistachio pasta, wild boar ragu, housemade ricotta salata, pistachio oil
Cavatelli alla Norcina – ricotta dumplings, housemade pork sausage, black truffles, grana padano
Grilled Whole Orata – rapini ripassati, anchovy paste, dandelion greens
Chocolate Budino Tart, salted caramel, cacao crust, olive oil, sea salt
Wow. That place is a must when I’m in LA next! Looks awesome!