- Munchy Monday: Scarpetta -

This Munchy Monday's spotlight is one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Scarpetta, a place with class, hand made pasta, and a beautiful view.  

Beer imported straight from Italy - "amazing and smooth" according to the boyfriend

Grilled Octopus with squid ink puree

Trozzapreti

 Short Rib & Bone Marrow Agnolotti

The high quality and class Italian restaurant Scarpetta, located in Beverly Hills hotel Montage, blows all other Italian restaurants I've tried out of the water. You can hold this statement to be true until I visit Italia one day. Opened in 2008 after the original in New York, Scarpetta Los Angeles has quickly become favorites to locals and travelers. The interior provides a quiet, serious mood with its very dim lighting and dark wood, while the open terrace outside offers a more casual area to dine, not to mention a beautiful view of the hotel's courtyard. A couple weeks ago, my boyfriend and I made a reservation for 7 PM and were lucky enough to watch the courtyard come to life with people trickling back in from a long day of exploring our beautiful city. Once it got darker, the terrace lit up the beautifully high arched walls, with the designs on the lights giving the effect of a hundred tiny stars. I ate here about two years ago with my family and the interior is nothing compared to the outside terrace. Of course the inside is beautifully designed, with the grand staircase and lights, but it's just too serious for me in there! (Tip: Make a reservation!) As for parking, it's expensive as always but so worth it for this restaurant. I'm sure you could find street parking somewhere and walk, but it's easier to valet as long as you've got $8 in cash and a validation from the restaurant. (Tip: Valet fee is some ridiculous double digit amount if you don't have a validation, so don't forget it!)

As we walked into the hotel this time around, a kind gentleman asked where our destination was and took us to where we needed to be. We were a bit late for our reservation, but they still accommodated us very quickly because we called in advance to let them know. We were escorted outside to the terrace by a casually dressed hostess, who made us feel so comfortable with her flat heeled boots and not so fancy black attire. We're still pretty young and us being Asians in our early twenties, we could pass as an older teenage couple, but it's great when we get to enjoy some fine dining without feeling underdressed or too young. That's another great thing about sitting on the terrace, you don't have to dress so fancy to enjoy your expensive meal. We got seated and met our waiter - I'm so sad that I can't remember his name because he was just great. He, like the hostess, was super casual and joked around, making the environment so much more comfortable and enjoyable. Exquisite food + a comfortable place where you can talk without whispering = perfect. We ended up ordering the tuna and grilled octopus as appetizers, corn and mushrooms as a side, and the Short Rib & Bone Marrow Agnolotti and the Trozzapreti as our entrees. The tuna and octopus appetizers were nothing amazing, but the same cannot be said for the side and entrees. Perfetto! Magnifico! Delizioso! Ran out of words to say in Italian... I enjoyed the agnolotti more than the trozzapreti, but I'd recommend both. I loved the small size and ease of consumption of the agnolotti, and it tasted amazing. The corn and mushroom side dish was just the perfect side to balance out all the carbs. You really can't get the taste and texture of these pasta dishes anywhere else because the actual pasta's are made fresh and daily in the mornings. I mean, they have a chef specifically who does it, so of course it's going to be amazing. The dishes are small but filling. I was sad at one point that the pasta dishes are small, but I remind myself that a healthy portion of pasta should be the size of your fist. So, here's to being healthy and broke. I've also tried the spaghetti, which is their most popular and best dish, in my opinion. Once you try it you'll understand why. Scarpetta changes their menu and ingredients seasonally, but thankfully the spaghetti is always a constant. Another constant that I've had before is their chocolate cake, which is also small but perfect. All their desserts sound mouth watering, but by the time it comes time for it, I'm already filled with carbs and ready to explode. Next time!

$$$-$$$$

   
Address:

224 North Canon Dr.

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

inside Hotel Montage 

 Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 6 PM - 10 PM

Friday-Saturday: 6 PM - 10:30 PM
Sunday: Closed

 

Best For:

Older adults

Small groups
Celebrations

Big spenders

Dinner

Overall Review:
I wish all pasta could taste like this.

Happy eating!

Love, 

Jessie