There's one thing that everyone who's been to Riva agrees on: She's a stunner. We never saw the space when it was Scarboni but we dig the high ceilings, cement walls and columns, the "pizza bar" and open kitchen. Potted herbs greet you when you walk in, there's a small lounge to the right, lots of seating everywhere, and a private room toward the back. As previously mentioned, this is the second restaurant from the folks behind Fraiche, namely chef Jason Travi, his wife and pastry chef Miho, and general manager/maitre d' Thierry Perez.
Riva has the same sensibilities as Fraiche with more seafood (the name means "shoreline" in Italian), seasonality (utilizes the nearby Santa Monica farmer's market), and pizzas from a wood-burning oven. Something else it has: It's own blog. Since it's located near the Third Street Promenade (hello, holiday shoppers) and the beach, they're keeping all-day hours with an afternoon pizza-beer special that deserves some attention. Here's the dinner menu---appetizers and entrees, and full Eater tracking.
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