For once, it's not Hollywood's fault. While San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, New York -- even St. Louis! -- each have a still-thriving "Little Italy," our Little Italy on Olvera Street gave way to Chinatown and El Pueblo State Historic Park in the mid-1950s. All that's left is the Italian Hall at the end of Main Street.
However, authentic Italian isn't dead; it's just harder to find. Variety Weekend did the work for you, eating high and low, far and wide, searching for the most traditional, authentic and delicious Italian dishes the city has to offer.
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ARANCINI. Translated, it means “little orange” — a reference to the traditional shape of this appetizer made from risotto that’s stuffed with mozzarella before deep-frying. |
DRAGO takes liberties with the shape, forming them into bite-sized pyramids of risotto laced with peas, mozzarella and meat ragu. Not on the menu, but sometimes they’re offered to diners before the meal begins. |
SCUNGILLI. Sliced into thick slabs, this large, spiral-shelled mollusk (okay, it’s a big snail) is a staple in the old neighborhoods. “When it’s fresh and cooked properly, there is nothing more tender and sweet,” says Doug DeLuca, chairman of the Feast of San Gennaro Los Angeles. “It takes me right back to Little Italy’s Mulberry Street (in New York).” |
FRANKIE'S ON MELROSE flies in scungilli fresh from Rhode Island. They also make a special sweet-and-spicy “Mulberry Sauce” named after the street. |
HOMEMADE PASTA--WITH COCOA. Italian restaurants have many shades of fresh pasta — green (spinach), red (tomato), even black (squid ink). But it’s only in Italian homes that you’ll see a nut-brown pasta that comes from swapping some pasta flour for unsweetened cocoa. (Clifford A. Wright, author of “Cucina Paradiso: The Heavenly Food of Sicily,” credits 17th-century Sicilians with the idea of using cocoa in pasta sauces.) |
LA BUCA owner Filippo Cortivo says his mom has made cocoa pasta since he was a kid in northern Italy. Today, mom Loredana Cecchinato oversees the kitchen at La Buca; her pasta is one reason the restaurant will expand from 25 seats to 75 seats next month. |
BRACIOLLE. Pronounced BRA-zhol, this rolled-up meat-and-herb dish is a favorite addition to the Sunday sauce. “My father used to make a braciolle and I still have the tomato-stained recipe card he wrote it on,” says Federico Moramarco, co-author of “Italian Pride.” “Outside of the Italian home, it’s hard to find a good version.” |
VALENTINO stuffs beef with mortadella, Parmigano-Reggiano and Umbrian pecorino before stewing it in red wine. Made only on request; call ahead to order. |
TORTA DELLA NONNA. “Grandma’s cake” is ubiquitous in Florence, but harder to find in America. Our loss: Like the world’s best brownie, it has a crusty exterior complemented by a creamy filling dotted with pinenuts. “It’s an uncommon dessert, but immensely satisfying,” says former Il Sole pastry chef David Wiedman. |
IL CAPRICCIO owner Tony DeMonte says, “our secret is the fresh ricotta and pinenuts.” Despite diners’ pleas, it’s only on the menu “whenever Nonna wants to make it,” so call ahead. |
DRAGO, 2628 Wilshire Blvd. 310-828-1585 FRANKIE'S ON MELROSE, 7228 Melrose Ave. 323-937-2801 LA BUCA, 5210 ½ Melrose Ave. 323-462-1900 VALENTINO, 3115 Pico Blvd. 310-829-4313 IL CAPRICCIO, 1757 N. Vermont Ave. 323-662-5900
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Steve Moramarco and his father, Federico Moramarco, are the authors of “Italian Pride” and the upcoming cookbook “Deliciously Italian.” |
