CAFE 8-1/2 UNSPOOLS A FINE MEAL; IT'S A PIZZA-FREE TASTE OF ITALY AT NEW EATERY.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic Obviously named after Federico Fellini's 1963 Oscar-winning movie ``8-1/2,'' starring Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale, the new Cafe 8-1/2 in Tarzana comes to the Valley as a second location to the original on Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills. In the spruced-up, terra cotta-toned space that was previously Buky's County Line and before that Truly Yours, Cafe 8-1/2 is an airy, convivial con·viv·i·al adj. 1. Fond of feasting, drinking, and good company; sociable. See Synonyms at social. 2. Merry; festive: a convivial atmosphere at the reunion. place with no great surprises on its Italian menu, other than its lack of pizzas, but obviously possessing acceptable skill in the kitchen. Recommendable starters include a neither-salty-nor-stringy prosciutto pro·sciut·to n. pl. pro·sciut·ti or pro·sciut·tos An aged, dry-cured, spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served without cooking. and creamy fresh mozzarella moz·za·rel·la n. A mild white Italian cheese that has a rubbery texture and is often eaten melted, as on pizza. [Italian, diminutive of mozza, a cut, mozzarella, from mozzare, antipasto platter ($7.75) delivered with nine kalamata olives, a dish portioned large enough for two to share, and a bowl of stracciatella Stracciatella (from Italian stracciato, "torn apart") is an Italian egg-drop soup, usually said to be "alla Romana" ("the way it's done at Rome"), but also popular in Marche and Emilia Romagna. (``little rags''), the traditional Italian egg drop and spinach soup ($6) possessing good flavors but perhaps a mite too much spinach. A basket stuffed with cube-shaped pieces of freshly baked, well-made focaccia bread goes well with both of these beginning dishes. The welcome bread actually comes to the table before the ordering process really gets under way. What's more, it's accompanied by a crucible of tangy, seasoned, herb-flavored olive oil, allowing hungry patrons to dip and nibble Half a byte (four bits). (data) nibble - /nib'l/ (US "nybble", by analogy with "bite" -> "byte") Half a byte. Since a byte is nearly always eight bits, a nibble is nearly always four bits (and can therefore be represented by one hex digit). contentedly while deciding what they'll eat. For salad fanciers, a worthwhile starter choice from a selection of eight is a refreshing heap of spinach leaves tossed with pecan nuts and gorgonzola cheese ($6 for lunch, $6.50 at dinnertime). Pastas, especially the simple noodle classics like spaghetti aglio e olio o·li·o n. pl. o·li·os 1. A heavily spiced stew of meat, vegetables, and chickpeas. 2. a. A mixture or medley; a hodgepodge. b. ($8.25) and penne with tomato sauce, the latter optionally served as an accompaniment to meat or fish entrees and available separately with smoked mozzarella and eggplant ($8.75), denote a careful, light cooking hand in the kitchen and even more importantly the necessary all-around pasta handling expertise. Serious meat-eaters will be happy to find that both the veal chop (lombatina di vitella, $18) and the lamb chops (costoletta de agnello, $18) bring forth moist, flavorful, meat-on-the-bone enjoyments. The veal arrives smothered smoth·er v. smoth·ered, smoth·er·ing, smoth·ers v.tr. 1. a. To suffocate (another). b. To deprive (a fire) of the oxygen necessary for combustion. 2. in a delicious, roughly chopped, seasoned mixture of spinach, leeks and mushrooms, which the kitchen favors enough to utilize with cream as a topping for a pasta dish, fettuccini all verdi ($9.50). 8-1/2's juicy lamb chops impress, probably as much as anything due to being successfully paired with red cherry peppers and a red wine reduction. Fish though, doesn't appear to fare as well here. For example, the house salmon offering could have used as much - or more -attention as other items tried. Salmone al salto ($16), as it's called, though served with a lilting caper caper, common name for members of the Capparidaceae, a family of tropical plants found chiefly in the Old World and closely related to the family Cruciferae (mustard family). , lemon and butter sauce, should have been removed from the grill sooner, allowing more moisture retention. The piquant, gray-toned caper sauce with it helped some, but the salmon's dryish qualities pulled a potentially wonderful fish effort down to merely a fair rating. And that's even with the alternative option to the penne entree accompaniment, a serving of nicely executed, crisp vegetables. As for its sweet endings, in addition to the necessary tiramisu tir·a·mi·su n. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. dessert, Cafe 8-1/2 stocks Bindi Bindi can mean: Jayy.
My personal preference, however, is the Bindi version of cassata ($4.75), the traditional Sicilian refresher made with cream, chocolate, zabaglione, candied can·died adj. Permeated, covered, encrusted, or cooked with sugar: candied sweet potatoes. candied Adjective coated with or cooked in sugar: cherries, orange peel and pralines. The cassata may remind you of spumoni spu·mo·ni or spu·mo·ne n. An Italian ice cream having layers of different colors or flavors and often containing fruits and nuts. [Italian, augmentative of spuma, foam, from Latin . But take my word, it's better. Easily 8-1/2 times better. THE FACTS The restaurant: Cafe 8-1/2. Where: 18588 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. (Also at 201 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 652-2048). When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; for dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Prosciutto with creamy mozzarella and olives, spinach and gorgonzola salad with pecans, spaghetti aglio e olio, grilled lamb chops with cherry peppers and red wine sauce, grilled veal chop with leek-spinach-mushroom topping, Sicilian-style cassata. How much: Starters and salads from $5 to $7.75, entrees and pastas from $8.25 to $18, desserts $4 and $4.75 each. Full bar. MC, V. Wine list: Small selection of 37 labels with no vintage dates, 15 whites, 21 reds, one sparkling. Mostly Italian and moderately priced from $17 to $49 (five whites and four reds at $17). Heavy on pinot grigios (five), chardonnays (six), cabernet sauvignons (seven) and merlots (four). Seven wines by the glass ($5 each). Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere : $7. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 343-8588. Our rating: Three stars for food; Three stars for service; Two stars for wine. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Co-owner Stefan Kadlecik, left, and chef Jose Solorzano offer many meat, fish and pasta dishes at the new Cafe 8-1/2 in Tarzana. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion