Alejo’s cuisine stinks thanks to the goodness of garlic

  JENNIFER YUEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff People enjoy a
meal inside Alejo’s Italian restaurant, located on Washington and
Lincoln boulevards. RESTAURANT REVIEW
Alejo’s Presto Trattoria Address:
4002 Lincoln Blvd. Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

Hours: Monday-Thursday
11 am to 10 pm
Friday 11am to 10:30pm
4 pm to 10:30pm Saturday
4pm to 10:30pm Sunday
Phone Numbers: 310-822-0095
Price Range: $5 to $11

By Sharon Hori
Daily Bruin Senior Staff Alejo’s Presto Trattoria is a
garlic-lover’s heaven. When the clouds parted and a light
beamed down from the skies onto the corner of Washington and
Lincoln boulevards in Marina Del Rey, the first loaf of fine
Italian bread was born in the oven of Alejo’s Presto
Trattoria. The next day, the Italian creation was dipped into a
pool of olive oil and soaked with garlic to produce a taste sharp
enough to burn taste buds and a scent that still wafts from the
breath of its consumers everywhere. The secret that will turn mere
Italian connoisseurs into regular garlic addicts is in the
pre-dinner ritual of serving bread. No meal begins without a basket
of fresh bread next to a bowl of olive oil and garlic ““ not
just a couple cloves of garlic, but as many as five, six or 10.
Yes, garlic. Condemning patrons will need to stay away from this
potent appetizer. It is guaranteed to transform even the mintiest
breath into a fire hot enough to ward off Dracula and all his great
grandchildren. A word of caution: garlic breath can last for days
at a time. Concerns such as bad breath are petty to the
Alejo’s kitchen crew, who must tolerate breathing 90 percent
garlic and 10 percent Los Angeles smog. But even the mild
spaghetti-eater should heed warning. True to its flavor,
Alejo’s promises a menu as fresh as their herbs and as
diverse as their ingredients. From pesto to pomodoro, Alejo’s
captures only the classic tastes, transcribing them into their
family recipes and releasing them into their entrees only. The
Shrimp Al Diablo, mixing shrimp with linguini in a hot, savory wine
and tomato sauce, promises to be an all-time favorite for $10.95. A
less spicy version for the same price is the Linguini Pescatore,
which substitutes clam, shrimp and calamari in a similar sauce,
minus the spice. Alejo’s “fish of the day” are
specialties offered fresh daily. At $14, the Chilean sea bass and
Atlantic salmon arrive tender enough to melt upon touching the
tongue. The breaded chicken parmigiana comes steaming hot, served
with spaghetti in a red marinara sauce for $8.95. The veal marsala,
in a light wine, garlic and mushroom sauce, and its sister dish,
veal piccata, pounded in a wine, lemon and garlic sauce, both beam
at $10.95. Kids can munch on pepperoni pizza ($4.95), spaghetti and
meatballs ($7.45) or even a chicken calzone ($8.95). Vegetarians
can enjoy the Ravioliala Checca ($7.95), with fresh tomato, basil
and olive oil or the Linguini al Pesto with its complementary
pine-nut flavor. For the people who want a light snack or crave a
sweet treat, homemade cheesecake, flan and spumoni are offered for
less than $3. The entrees at Alejo’s are filling and
agreeably priced so only the near-famished will get as far as the
dessert. Although parking in the front lot is limited to 20
minutes, the average dinner can take up to an hour. Customers
should actually park on the street behind the restaurant. Crowds
start bustling in after 6:30 p.m., so the key to securing a good
table is to arrive early. With a casual atmosphere of waiters
scurrying about and customers quietly minding their own dinners,
Alejo’s offers nothing more than Italy at its finest. Diners
don’t need to worry about primping themselves for a fancy
night on the town. Whether you come dressed for a pre-movie dinner
or an Italian feast, you can only feel at home. And then, when you
do go home, you can still taste the garlic.