La Bottega Marino-West LA   

11363 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-477-7777
www.labottegausa.com

Directions   Email   Send to Cell  

Directly adjacent to its more formal cousin Il Grano, La Bottega Marino offers equally fresh and authentic Italian dishes in a stripped-down deli-style setting. The Marino family captures the full flavor of a Neopolitan feast with homestyle soups, pastas and sandwiches, and serves up warm paisano hospitality to match. Antipasti options range from the modest insalata tricolore with its aged parmagiano reggiano to the insalata di spinaci, which combines pine nuts with scattered gorgonzola in a light balsamic dressing. Entrees consist of signature chicken dishes like the zesty pollo piccata, two tender chicken breasts lightly doused with lemon and capers, and veggie-punctuated pasta creations like the penne al funghi, which pairs porcini and shitake mushroom sauces. More exotic concoctions like the delicious ravioli di carciofi, an artichoke-based ravioli smothered in pink sauce, join standard Italian hallmarks like arrabiata and puttanesca. Haute-seekers are better served next door at La Bottega's more elegant alternative, but for reasonably priced homemade cuisine without the fuss of other LA-area Italian eateries, La Bottega is an attractive choice. -- Jeremy Horelick