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Grace Reviews Tratto

(Editor’s note: Longtime Palisades restaurant critic Grace Hiney, who has been keeping residents abreast of all the great local restaurants and eateries for more than 40 years, returns to the “table” with her review of Tratto, which opened in the former Tivoli Café space in August.)

Restaurant reviewer Grace Hiney chats with Tratto Manager Enrico Bartoluzzi.

TRATTO

15306 Sunset Blvd.

Pacific Palisades

(424) 581-4000

With good fortune, my friend Barbara and I were able to enjoy dinner at the new Tratto restaurant on Sunset, across from Palisades Village. Opened in the former Tivoli Café location, this new Italian restaurant not only looks terrific, but offers excellent Italian cuisine.

Fortunately, there is the same outdoor patio area (with heaters for cooler evenings) and a handsomely redone interior featuring a variety of woods, plus the savory fragrance emanating from the kitchen where cooks, under the direction of Chef Samuele Minin, prepare your meal.

The menu is simple and easy to read with dishes such as antipasta, salads, pizzas, pastas, special vegetables and meat dishes such as Cornish hen, slow-roasted pork shoulder, a New York strip steak, breaded veal chop, grilled branzino filet and a special fresh wild fish of the day. Prices are moderate with pizzas in the $14 to $16 category, while entrees range from $23 to $38.

         While sipping a glass of wine, we decided to share a salad to start off our dinner. The Beet-ole caught our eye. The salad ($1PRICE) came with roasted beets, hazelnuts, goat cheese and thyme aioli. Delicious indeed, but large, so some went home for lunch the next day.

The pasta of the day, penne with truffles and mushroom in a luscious cream sauce, tempted Barbara. This dish ($24) was delicious.

My choice was the fresh New Zealand king salmon ($26). It too was excellent, with its broiled lemon accenting the beautifully broiled fish. It was served with red and gold cherry tomatoes and Romanesca cauliflower, with its pale light green color and delicate flavor, available only now in the fall season.

To complete this delightful meal, we had pizza Nutella made with bananas and hazelnuts wrapped in a bit of dough and cooked in the oven, making each bite scrumptious and hard to resist.

Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Of course, we also noticed people picking up orders to go.

The new manager, Enrico Bartoluzzi, was friendly, helpful and available to answer all of our questions.

A Tratto waiter presents the pasta special of the day, penne with truffles and fresh mushrooms.

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