There are some works of art that are unfinished yet iconic. The portrait of George Washington on the dollar bill is one of them – artist Gilbert Stuart planned to portray him down to the waist, but only finished his face and shoulders before moving on to another commission. The painting is powerful even though incomplete, recognized then and now as a masterpiece.
Restaurant critics are more hesitant to review incomplete works than art critics, because the menu a restaurant has upon opening or a meal consumed in an establishment still under construction gives a less conclusive idea of what the place will be and do over time. Nevertheless sometimes a place must be reviewed before they have achieved whatever goal they have set for themselves.
A case in point is Bottega Romana in Riviera Village, which opened a small dining room and spacious patio in late 2014, letting customers know that a wine bar in the other half of their space would be open soon. Over ten months later the wine bar is still scheduled to be open soon, and the windows are blocked so it’s impossible to see how far along it is. The restaurant is an important and interesting development in the local scene, so after many months of waiting for the whole place to be open I gave up and decided to review the place as it is now.
We had a choice between a small modern room with about eight tables and a pretty outdoor patio illuminated with strings of white lights. It was a pleasant evening so we decided to dine outdoors, and a server named Joe came to offer menus, water, and advice about what to order. He demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of the menu, which includes Roman, Tuscan, and Sardinian dishes.
It’s rare to find Sardinian food anywhere in LA, so we zeroed in on a salad of fregola, a toasted round pasta that is similar to couscous. It was served with a mix of green peas, roasted mixed beets, red onions, and cherry tomatoes in a balsamic dressing, and it was a fine way to start things out. Fregola has a nutty flavor thanks to the roasting process, making it more than just a blank canvas for other ingredients. The peas, beets, and cherry tomatoes all had different levels of vegetable sweetness to pair with that flavor, and the balsamic dressing added a tangy, tart counterpoint. It was a classic Southern Italian dish, simple natural flavors combined with the sophisticated vinegar, and it was delicious.
I was set to order grilled octopus with garlic, beans, and potatoes as our other starter, but Joe suggested the tuna tartare. I was surprised by this, but he said it was both one of the most popular and best items, and I figured he would know. It was indeed different from most raw tuna dishes I’ve had thanks to the combination of lemon-balsamic dressing with English cucumbers and a dusting of pistachios. The pistachios made the dish, a combination I would have never thought of but liked instantly. The tuna mix is served on slices of romaine lettuce, which made me think of it as finger food for exactly long enough to try one bite. The mix is loose and it’s slippery – use your fork and maybe you won’t spill it on your shirt like I did.
We asked Joe to pick suitable wines from the by-the-glass list, and he surprised us with a Ruffino Orvieto and a Fontana Candida Frascati. This was unexpected because those are two of the least expensive glasses on the list, and servers often up-sell when invited to make suggestions. Joe’s advice was on the mark again, since the Orvieto was excellent with the seafood, the Frascati with the pasta salad.
My wife and I had decided to eat like Italians and share a pasta course before advancing to the main event, and we picked a daily special of codfish and shrimp stuffed ravioli. I had expected a cream sauce, but these were served in a light and fresh-tasting tomato-based sauce with a delicate dose of red pepper. Parmesan was offered, and I asked if it would improve the flavor; Italians usually don’t eat cheese with fish. Joe said it was not needed, but Americans tend to want cheese on anything with red sauce. It would have been a disservice here, because the simple flavors of herbs and vegetables were all the ravioli needed. My wife and I shared a glass of Calcagno Sicilian rose, which had flavors of tropical fruit that suited the pasta very well.
The non-pasta main courses here are mostly beef and veal, but we decided to try a classic plate of chicken with artichoke and garlic in a lemon-caper white wine sauce. This may not be an Italian dish at all – it was probably invented by Northern Italians in America – and there are many ways of making it, some of which involve breading and frying the chicken before adding the sauce. Here the chicken is sautéed with the other ingredients so the flavors meld together, the lemon and caper sharp contrasts with the musky artichokes and rich butter. It’s not a flashy dish, and in its way is emblematic of this restaurant – the focus is not on novelty, but elegantly crafted recipes in the Italian tradition. We enjoyed the chicken with its accompanying potatoes and vegetable mix alongside glasses of Mongrana super Tuscan blend and Barbera, and had just enough room for dessert.
Tiramisu and other dishes were offered, but Joe suggested a pear crostata with apricot marmalade. The fruit tart flanked with sliced strawberries and topped with ice cream was a small but richly flavored item, and we enjoyed every bite.
Dinner for two ran $155, of which wine was about $60 – not inexpensive, but in line with this rapidly gentrifying Italian restaurant scene. As we departed Joe mentioned that the wine bar will be open soon, and we should come back then. We very likely will, partly to see what has taken so long and partly because we’d like to try more of the menu. Bottega Romana’s building may still be a work in progress, but the cooking is a complete work, assured and sophisticated.
Bottega Romana is at 215 Avenue I in Redondo Beach – open 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tue-Fri, 5:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Tue-Sun. Street parking only, wine and beer served, patio dining. Corkage $24. Menu at bottegaromana-la.com, phone 310-540-8777.
