Angelini Osteria Restaurant   

In a fusion-filled LA where escargot and pasta alla carbonara often occupy the same menu page, authentic Italian meals are about as rare as mafia indictments. As the former chef at Rex il Ristorante and Vincenti (two Italian favorites of the past and present, respectively), head chef and owner Gino Angelini offers forth a serious trip abroad for rare additions to the LA food-scape, such as octopus salad with black olives and cherry tomatoes and a classic bistecca alla Fiorentina, a 20-ounce T-bone seasoned and grilled to relative perfection. With traditional Italian "primi" and "secondi" plates proof of their Italian faith, Angelini Osteria's prices do slant leaning-tower-style toward the expensive, but with dishes like ravioli stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta, think of what you'll save postponing your next Alitalia flight. One thing to be wary of -- the restaurant is tiny, which makes this popular stop more cramped than the Vatican on Easter Sunday. Make reservations, unless you don't mind getting inebriated slurping their brilliant Fontodi Chianti Classico while watching the crowd at El Coyote across the street meld into a blurry mass.