Prince of Pasta
Things are looking up at Hollywood's Osteria La Buca
Good, home-style Italian cooking doesn't always have to come from Mama. And now, with Alberto Lazzarino in the kitchen at Osteria La Buca on Melrose, it's not.
Lazzarino was last seen wowing diners with refined Northern Italian fare at his own restaurant, the now-shuttered Melgrano. But at La Buca, he's doing what he calls "terra terra cooking"--down-to-earth and straightforward.
The crispy thin-crust pizzas are still around, but Lazzarino has added rustic dishes, like charred Romaine with pieces of crisp maplewood-smoked bacon ($12), and roasted beets and arugula topped with a thick round of pan-fried goat cheese ($14).
The Piemonte-born chef is really known for his pastas, which are all made in-house. An earthy sauce with brown lentils and roasted tomatoes ($15) clings to every curve of the twisted fusilli, while wide ribbons of pappardelle are coated with chunks of tender wild boar and chocolate-tinged tomato sauce (pictured, $18).
Regulars won't let him take classics like the grilled New York strip with arugula off the menu, but daily specials like braised pork belly and creamy polenta ($23) make an appearance throughout the week.
La Buca may have expanded from its humble 20-seat beginning, but Lazzarino's cooking makes it feel as intimate as ever.
Osteria La Buca, 5210 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; 323-462-1900 or osterialabuca.com
