Pasta Bar LA

16101 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436

Califorina Italian Fixed Course

A stylishly modern space hidden inside an unassuming strip mall, this hip concept’s tasting menu is one for the books. Offered in a well-appointed front bar, drinks and a snack kick things off, and the staff is wonderfully engaging as they serve a host of delectable, hyper-local items. The eclectic cuisine travels beyond the borders of Italian tradition, offering up such creations as a raviolo filled with king crab, fermented pineapple, and macadamia nuts, or perfectly chewy cavatelli with Iberico pork, chile pasilla mixe, and earthy mole. Australian lamb loin features a merguez sausage made from its belly meat, matched with cherries, cipollini, and dusky rose-hued pasta filled with braised lamb neck. Desserts, like a bone marrow custard filled with blackberry granita and crisp meringue, are equally intriguing.