Evan Funke's 'Pasta Laboratorio' Bucato Opening in Dec

Santa Monica lost a gem of a chef when Evan Funke clocked out of Rustic Canyon last February, taking his deep-fried baby artichokes and sweet corn angolotti with him.

Earlier this summer the good news spread that Funke wasn't landing too far from Rustic Canyon turf, snagging the former Beacon space in the Helms Bakery complex in Culver City. If you've followed Funke's Instagram over the past few months, the chef has posted photos of his hand-made pastas and whole butchered animals, exactly what he plans to serve at Bucato, his chef-driven restaurant hopefully opening mid-December.

The LAT describes Bucato, which translates to "laundry" in Italian, as a "restaurant and pasta laboratorio." Back before Beacon days the building slated to house Bucato served as a laundry facility, and much in the old fashioned way clothing was once washed by hand, Funke plans to focus on the old fashioned way of making pasta, with just a stick and board.

Within the 3,400-square-foot restaurant is a dining room, two patios, a temperature-controlled glass-enclosed pasta lab, and a butcher room for disassembling whole animals sustainably raised in California.

Future patrons can expect about eight to 10 handmade pastas and seasonal small plates prepared over a wood-burning oven/grill. House-made sourdough bread will grace tables, and Funke says he has been "feeding a starter that [he] made in San Francisco every day for six months." Now that's love and dedication. As far as alcohol, the restaurant will serve a selection of boutiques wines from Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Oregon and NorCal focused on affordability.
·Evan Funke plans to open Culver City pasta lab Bucato in December [LAT]
·Evan Funke Snags Former Beacon Space for New Resto [~ELA~]