Rao's Brings a Taste of No-Nonsense New York to LA

Presenting Rao's, where it's Christmas everyday, minus the Santa suit. The East Coast export, rooted in East Harlem for the last 117 years with a storied mob-tied history, commenced red sauce service on September 17, marking the Pellegrino family's third Southern Italian restaurant. The second opened in Las Vegas about seven years ago.

While the New York location is infamous for its near to impossible reservation policy (you need to know someone with a standing table reservation to get in), due in part to the restaurant's 10 tables, so far a seat at the new Hollywood space has proved a tough ticket too, with seats fully booked for the next few weeks. But hey, an option is to just walk in early and sit at the bar.

As far as food here is concerned, chef Nicole Grimes, who previously ran the kitchen at Rao's in Vegas, has moved West and is prepping the usual suspects like fried mozzarella, spaghetti and meatballs and lemon chicken, but also a bunch of lighter dishes geared to LA diners. So far Yelpers are ecstatic about the restaurant, especially pleased with the fantastic service. Five full stars.
·All Rao's Coverage [~ELA~]