IT'S RISOTTO ... AND MUCH MORE.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic Replacing Spumante Spumante is a kind of Italian sparkling wine. The most famous of the spumantes is Asti Spumante, named for the region of its producion, Asti, Piedmont, Italy. To be defined "spumante" a wine must have at the time of opening the cap an overpressure not lower than 3. (due to reopen soon in North Hollywood), the new Risotto ri·sot·to n. pl. ri·sot·tos A dish of rice cooked in broth, usually with saffron, and served with grated cheese. [Italian, from riso, rice, from Old Italian; see rice. in Studio City even uses the same neon lettering on its sign as its predecessor. It doesn't appear to have made any significant physical changes, continuing as an attractive Italian restaurant featuring full tablecloth service and an alluring back patio with a roll-back canvas roof. However, service to patio diners sometimes seems a little slow, possibly due to the fact that staffers tend to congregate inside, closer to the kitchen, entrance and main dining room. With four savory risotti and a sweet dessert risotto on its menu, this restaurant smartly lives up to its chosen name. One outstanding effort is the risotto di zucca ($13), technically a savory creation, but offering a delicious touch of sweetness from the caramelization Caramelization or caramelisation (see spelling differences) is the oxidation of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. Like the Maillard reaction, caramelization is a type of non-enzymatic browning. of its butternut butternut: see walnut. butternut Deciduous nut-producing tree (Juglans cinerea) of the walnut family, native to eastern North America. A mature tree has gray, deeply furrowed bark. squash (not pumpkin) main ingredient -- other than the obvious rice -- along with a welcome sage undertone. This dish provided a gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. and shareable starter one balmy night. Other risotti include a mixed seafood recipe ($15.50), one with two types of mushroom ($13) and a risotto with a spinach, basil and shrimp mixture ($14.50). Can an antipasti Antipasti can refer to:
Best of the items listed on the menu as antipasti is unquestionably the lobster ravioli dish ($9.50), generously portioned with pillow-soft, circular ravioli nestled in a smooth vodka sauce, nicely garnished with lump crabmeat crab·meat n. The edible flesh of a crab. Noun 1. crabmeat - the edible flesh of any of various crabs crab crab cocktail - a cocktail of cold cooked crabmeat and a sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. Also under the antipasti heading, calamari fritti ($9), crispier than some, gets a passing grade, while pesto-topped little neck clams ($9.50) seemed dry and chewy chew·y adj. chew·i·er, chew·i·est Needing much chewing: chewy candy. chew  i·ness n. one evening. Soup of the day Soup of the Day is the loosely scripted 2006 internet phenomenon that told the story of one man who is dating three women at the same time. Each of the 19-episodes of the story was its own 4-6 minute self-contained viral video. The entire series can be seen at [1] [2]. ($6) here ranges from good (wild mushroom in a vegetable broth) to excellent (asparagus and mushrooms in chicken broth). There's also an untried lentil soup ($5) offered regularly. The Risotto kitchen does a respectable job with swordfish ($18.50) which arrives as a healthy-sized portion, grilled quickly to avoid dryness, plated with a lilting red wine sauce, thus making it a natural to pair with red wine. Other fish entrees, both pan-seared, like Chilean seabass ($24) and Dover sole ($18.50), pass muster. But sauteed rabbit ($22) was unexpectedly dry one night, not quite able to be saved by its rather impressive vinegared onion accompaniment. However, a pasta plate of farfalla with grilled chicken ($14) aided by asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and a gentle creamed tomato sauce receives a definite thumbs-up. So do Risotto's veal medallions ($20.50), nicely teamed with roasted peppers, crabmeat, asparagus and fontina fon·ti·na n. A ripened cheese of variable texture and flavor, originally produced in Italy. [Italian.] cheese and dubbed ``vitello Francese.'' It goes without saying that the ending dish ordered at a restaurant called Risotto should be its dessert risotto. Consequently, the risotto duet ($6) here of rice separately flavored with vanilla bean on one hand and mocha Mocha (mō`kə), town (1990 est. pop. 2,000), S Yemen, a port on the Red Sea. It was noted for the export of the coffee to which it gave its name but declined as a trading port in the late 19th cent. with the rise of Hodeida and Aden. rum on the other is the worthy choice. It's served up with a bit of flair in a pastry shell and finished with fresh berries and whipped cream. Call it a risotto finale if you wish. Also call it enjoyable. And very appropriate. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com RISOTTO Food: Two and one half stars Service: Two and one half stars Wine: Three stars Where: 12650 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Phone: (818) 761-7600. Meals/hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Food type: Italian. Cost: Starters from $5 to $11, pastas and entrees from $12.50 to $24, desserts $5 and $6. Credit cards: All major. Patio dining: Yes, in rear. Parking/valet: No valet. Free spaces in front lot. Full bar: No. Beer and wine licensed. Wine/Corkage: Two-page list has 52 labels priced from $21 (five at this price) to $189 for Dom Perignon. No vintage dates given. 27 wines by the glass ($5 to $10). Most bottlings ticketed under $40. Corkage: $7. Music/entertainment: No. Takeout/delivery: Yes on takeout, no on delivery. Reservations: Helpful. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Executive chef Bill Saito presents the rack of lamb Noun 1. rack of lamb - a roast of the rib section of lamb crown roast rack - rib section of a forequarter of veal or pork or especially lamb or mutton lamb roast, roast lamb - a cut of lamb suitable for roasting at Risotto, owned by Claudio Barbagiovanni. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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