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Culinary Connoisseur: Pizzicotto

By Paige Parker

Oct. 23, 2008 9:43 p.m.

Small and charming, it makes sense that small Italian restaurant Pizzicotto is a local favorite.

Hardly noticeable to a passerby, the restaurant’s front door opens up to an often-packed two-level space, with fancy pastas and oil bottles decorating the walls. The environment is welcoming and obviously Italian, with baskets of fresh bread and a tasty olive oil concoction served at each table.

Dinner at Pizzicotto was busy, the square tables were small and somewhat packed, and it was slightly awkward waiting in the middle of the crowded dining area as other customers squeezed in and out. However, such characteristics only added to that delightful feeling that comes with discovering an L.A. dining hotspot.

Although more expensive than those spots frequented by college students (most entrees are $10 to $15), Pizzicotto is the perfect place for one looking for a casual but quality dining experience.

It is a restaurant with the whole package: The atmosphere is good and the food is better. With a varied menu of salads, soups, risotto, pasta and thin-crust pizza, one may be tempted to ask the waiter for a suggestion.

The friendly, mostly European waiters will likely respond that anything on the menu is good, which may very well be the case.

The decision between the Gnocchi Piedmontese ($12.95) and the Raviolini Di Spinaci ($13.95) may be a toss-up, but you will not likely be disappointed either way.

Even after I had finished off my flavorful ravioli, appreciating every basil and garlic-covered forkful, I felt like it would have been easy to finish off the plate of Caprese that another diner was enjoying next to me.

The dessert menu ““ which includes tarts, pies and pastries (not to mention the list of sorbets and gelatos) ““ is almost as impressive as the main dishes. “Almost” because the apple tart called Crostata Di Mele ($6.95), may have been a little dry.

The perfect place to take a visiting friend or family member, Pizzicotto is one of those places that caters to any and all customers ““ be it the skeptical connoisseur or the picky child.

And although its popularity makes it lively, the restaurant is neither loud nor rowdy.

The closeness to the tables around you does not inhibit a sense of intimacy, which may come from the whole Italian villa feel. Since Pizzicotto is no secret to those living in the area, reservations are a good idea.

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Paige Parker
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