I thought I would give you the head's up on a great restaurant we found just before reaching Montepulciano. It is called Il Covo and is located at Localita S.Biagio n. 3/5 just off the SS for Chianciano. They serve everything from great appetizers to hand made pasta dishes, specialty meats, fish, and pizza. We were with native Italians who said it was one of the best meals they have had.
We had bruschetta, hot crostini, cinghiale al sugo, risotto ai frutti di mare, braesola, pici a ragu and some house wine. The restaurant itself is large and kid friendly. Prices are good. If you are in the area and don't know where to eat, stop there. You will be pleased.
www.ristoranteilcovo.net (Tel.0578.757228)
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6 comments:
Boun anno Lucia! Cristina in LA. You made me hungy and homesick, so many wonderful places to eat in this area but didn't know about this one. Have to check it out this year when we come. Been checking in to your blog and wanted to say hello. Hope all is well. cristina
I will let you know what other finds I have. You know the restaurant is good when the local Italians are eating there! Always good to hear from you. Any good Italian places to eat in LA??
Good Italian food is hard to find in Los Angeles as I am sure you know all too well. And if you do, it's so expensive for what it is! It is not San Francisco, NY or Chicago where you can eat a lovely dinner for a decent price like you would in a trattoria in Italy. Here, we eat at home mostly since that is how I was raised and as a result I am (humbly) by default one of the best Italian restaurants in LA, I am told. Many people love Osteria Angelini (Beverly Blvd). I think it is pretty average and when I consider their prices, I think it's pretty outrageous. When we do eat out it's usually sushi, Thai, Indian things we love and don't do well in our kitchen. Where did you grow up in LA? Do you have a favorite Italian spot here? I just recently found Monte Carlo, www.montecarlodeli.com, a fantastic Italian Grocery store which acts as my Salumeria etc. I found pretty good castagne there this year as opposed to the moldy ones you can buy at Whole Foods for almost eight dollars a pound, always fresh burrata (made by gioia), which Mario Batali's LA osteria will serve you with roasted leeks and panko for about 20.00 a plate(give me a break!)and you are lucky to get a table at 10:00pm; they basically have staples I grew up on. The funny thing is that they have been there for fifty six-ish years and my husband stumbled upon it last year while driving through Burbank because he noticed their lovely panetone display in the window and turned the car around. My only advice is to stick to shopping at the deli and ignoring the bad "Italian" restaurant (Pinocchio) as it serves dishes that taste like you'd imagine Italian-American cuisine would taste like if it were served in a state-funded hospital cafeteria.
There are so many Italian restaurants in LA that are "acceptable” but really hard pressed to find ones that are exceptional. Maybe it's because they are catering to what American's think Italian cuisine is? Funny to think about it in that way because LA is a sophisticated city with a real variety of cultures so you'd expect more authenticity. Where does your LA Italian family like to eat when they dine out?
Hey and thanks for the great input on restaurants and food in LA. I hope you don't mind me publishing it as it has so much good info. As for us, I grew up in the Valley so my family is very familiar with Montecarlo. In fact their pizza dough is really good and sometimes when Mom doesn't want to make her own, we use theirs. As for restaurants in LA, I am probably so out of the loop since I only come back over the summer and when we go out, it is usually for non Italian food like you! However a great restaurant we only recently found is called Wine Bistro in Studio City. Even my Italian husband said it serves great food...In fact if you go get the lobster ravioli. For a special occasion, I strongly recommend it. The owner, JB, really pays special attention to every detail. What about good pizza?? Any suggestions where to go? Where in LA are you?? Will you be around this summer??
Hi, I agree, mc’s pizza dough is good and I use it as well when I don’t feel like making my own. Even Trader Joes offers prepared, ready to use dough that is passable in a pinch and my older one loves making pizza with it. As far as pizzerias in LA go? Again, fantastic pizza is not so easy to come by! I mentioned Batali’s place, he opened it in part with Nancy Silverstien (the woman who started LaBrea Bakery and Campanile). On one side it’s a restaurant, the other side a pizzeria. But here’s the deal, it’s still a LA joint, you can hardly get in and reservations are recommended (remember I am talking about pizza). The pizza is good in the sense that it’s a nice marriage of Italian and Californian pizza but it is too much of a production to frequent it especially if you’re a family with small children. There is another place that was started by a Florentine and then taken over and expanded by a family from Perugia. Osteria La Buca, it’s on Melrose and although they do serve fresh pastas and seconds they also offer pretty good pizza as well. If you like thin-crust, more NY style pizza then the place to go is Village Pizza. It has your typical (American-Italian) style pizza with oregano in its sauce and what I feel is a little too much mozzarella but people love it! And yes, I agree that Wine Bistro is yummy. I haven’t been in years nor have I tried the lobster ravioli so thanks for the tip and the reminder!
We have been living on the east side for about seven years now. We like it because the beach has a tendency to feel too “beachy” year-round and we like the diversity. We will be mostly around this summer but are planning at some point of also being in Italy. When do you and your little ones come and how long do you stay? I’d love to meet you, it seems we’d have a lot to talk about (your blog is the only one I read).
Hey Cristina! Send me your email address that I will not publish. I remember you saying you are planning to move out here later and wanted to hear more about that. What are you doing in LA? How long have you been there?
Great insight on pizzerias. I have been out of the loop for so long. I know there is a great pizza place on 3rd and Robertson (or thereabouts) called Cafe' xxx . I cannot remember the name but will find out for you. The owner is from Napoli. You probably know it. Check out the comment on bilingual children I have left for you.Lucia
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