Like It or Not, Los Angeles Is Obsessed With Italian Food

When in doubt, cook Italian food

Is there any more enduring food trend in Los Angeles than the rustic Italian kitchen? Despite not having the sort of flashy Little Italy neighborhood you’ll find back east, Italian fare remains among the most beloved (and trustworthy, from a restaurateur’s perspective) thing you can serve. And adoring fans keep gobbling it up.

You see the move time and time again: where one restaurant fails, an Italian option takes over and does great numbers. Take for example A+R Cucina, the recently flipped former Sambar from owner Akasha Richmond. She said as much about Italian food being effortlessly popular in a note on Facebook announcing the shutter of her pan-Indian concept, and while it might rankle some folks it still remains largely true. Los Angeles is a city that will spend money on sit-down Italian food.

And now there’s O+O Sicilian Kitchen, which officially lands Friday in Santa Monica. The former tenant there was a vegan option under then name Elovate, but that went under and now we’ve got ravioli, wine, and eggplant parm — plus the beautiful patio you see above.

So how’s the food at O+O? Get there tomorrow to find out for yourself, but Eater suspects you’ll like it just fine. Everyone always does.

South Indian favorites in Pasadena

Can’t find what you’re looking for, cuisine-wise? Leave it up to the LA Times, who find themselves hot on the trail of South Indian dishes across Pasadena. All trails lead to Annapurna Grill and chef Suresh Albin, who is turning out some fantastic stuff you just don’t see that often.

The Rooster Truck returns

Witness the return of The Rooster Truck, the breakfast dominator that’s been rolling through Los Angeles for nearly a year now. The rig has been popping up at AM coffee shops and late night stops again after an initial deal to move off-street and start serving some of their menu favorites as part of a funky new delivery start-up called Wake & Late failed to come to fruition.

Now owner Rouha Sadighi is back on the streets doing breakfast burritos and lots more, mostly on the Westside and centered around Abbot Kinney’s Blue Bottle, with stops Monday and Wednesday through Saturday. There are weekend Arts District stops though, and you can always follow them on Instagram to find out their next location.

Lutefisk and more at Brouwerij West

Want something different this holiday season? Try a Norwegian-themed dinner at Brouwerij West in San Pedro. The Sunday, November 20 party goes down at 2 p.m. and runs $39 a head, which includes two pints of beer and hefty tastes of everything from cured whitefish (lutefisk) to those iconic meatballs and lingonberry sauce.

Creamistry comes to Koreatown

As of tomorrow, Creamistry will have its first official Koreatown shop space. Landing at 3510 West 8th., the ice cream operator turns out liquid nitrogen ice cream that’s made to order on the spot. Not bad for a stretch of town that’s already well inundated with great dessert options.

Chinese classics in West Hollywood on Black Friday

Black Friday is once again the time to have some stellar Chinese "classics" at E.P. & L.P. in West Hollywood, with chef Louis Tikaram doing his take on everything from shrimp fried rice and pork neck dan dan noodles to kung pao chicken and vegetarian dumplings. Prices are more than reasonable for the area, around $5-15 for most dishes. The menu runs November 25 from 6 p.m. and beyond. Book a table here.

The in-betweenness of Au Fudge

LA Weekly critic Besha Rodell files one from Au Fudge, the upscale kid-focused spot where parents can also dine (and drink) well. The place has been an interesting focal point for many different conversations about money and restaurants, but Rodell mostly just finds the place to be a serviceable midday option, if a little boring. But what do you expect when you’ve also got to feed kids who may not feel like eating their fussy $12 vegetables?

Another Roberta’s sighting

It’s getting more and more likely that Roberta’s, the famed Brooklyn pizza outlet, will be coming into Los Angeles with something pretty big down the line. Until a full on brick-and-mortar or permanent food truck can come to fruition though, they continue to pop up at various destinations from Sqirl to this latest iteration at Marvin. This one’s going down on Sunday, all day long.