Went down to Los Angeles last week to accompany the partner to a professional conference she was attending.
Our last evening we decided to drive north from downtown to one of the BEST gelaterias I’ve ever been to. The owner is from Italy, and hand makes everything in house, gelato, pasta, pizza dough etc.
As many of the best places in southern California, it’s located at the back of a totally generic strip mall, behind a ‘Code Ninjas’ kid computer camp and a nail salon.
For dinner, we started with the focaccia, warm with a shatteringly crisp crust, drizzled in olive oil and flaky salt
I had the carbonara (house made spaghetti and actual
guanciale (not pancetta and NOT bacon!)
It was awesome. Creamy, not gloopy. Rich and decadent.
Partner had the duck ragu. Same spaghetti, with a lighter, bright sauce with plenty of duck meat.
And for dessert, almond and pistachio gelato. No almond extract to be found here. Absolutely delicious, with the flavor of the actual nuts, rather than ‘flavoring’ really coming through. I also did a taste of their chocolate with sea salt which was SERIOUSLY chocolatey.
Should you find yourself in socal this is worth a detour.
I’ve also had their homemade gnocchi w pesto (excellent) and hand cut tagliatelle w short rib. You really can’t go wrong imho.