Jonathan Gold Doles Out High Praise for Officine Brera

This week Jonathan Gold gives his take on Officine Brera, "the grand, serious Italian restaurant Los Angeles has been yearning for" that comes by way of The Factory Kitchen's Matteo Ferdinandi and chef Angelo Auriana. The Times critic has only positive words for the "obscurely located" restaurant, lauding the flour dumplings and braised meats, but spending a little extra time on its superb rice dishes:

But Auriana's rice dishes at Officine Brera are marvelous things: generous and hearty, finely balanced but a bit more minimalist than you think they might be. [...] The risotto alla Milanese is as creamy and subtle as it might be at a trattoria in the Navigli, touched with but not overwhelmed by saffron and cheese. From the center of the rice soars a roasted marrowbone, well browned but not overheated. And when you spoon a bit of the quivering marrow into the risotto, a shot of pure animal essence against the tang of the risotto's mellow Lodi cheese, the effect is almost magical —€” numbing if you're eating the whole dish by yourself, perhaps, but a small essay in the interplay of richnesses underlined by the toasty fragrance of the rice. [LAT]

The Goldster concludes by recommending the off-menu chickpea flour crepe, farinata, which he calls the best dish in the restaurant.

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