Just a block away from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wilshire Blvd is this hidden gem. Literally hidden because it took like 5 minutes to find the entrance to this lovely establishment. Their well constructed see-through divider wall between the sidewalk and the restaurant’s patio with half dead plants on it made me assume I was at the wrong location, but I wasn’t. I was on time but not really. Street parking in that area is a complete nightmare. Luckily, UOVO has free parking in their building for two hours with validation. Phew! Just make sure you park on level P1, or else you’ll miss the restaurant’s parking area and risk getting towed. In this economy, who wants that. As a freelance creative, I certainly don’t!
Walking in, I found it a bit dark; clean, but empty. I was afraid because of my tardiness (I’m Mexican, who here is really surprised about that?! LOL!) we would have a long wait before being seated as they do not take reservations and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, eek! Later, I learned that this restaurant, outta the five locations open, is the one with the least traffic. Apparently, it usually picks up at dinner time, but when I arrived for lunch (12:15 PM). But show up early if you want a table, ‘cause you never know. I’m unemployed right now, so I got the time. I’m still deciding if disclosing unemployment is a brag or not. I’ll keep you posted!
Marianne and I sat at the bar and it felt like we were sitting in the kitchen with the staff. We could see our meals being prepared while Zachary, the restaurant manager, talked to us about the ingredients in our meal. And it wasn’t really that empty. There were a few people in there for their lunch time “rush,” but I appreciated the extra attention we got from the staff.
The inside of the restaurant reminded me of a log cabin with an incongruously modern kitchen ‘cause to be honest, I’m not sure what an Italian restaurant is supposed to look like. There is no charm to the decor, but the food is great! And we will get to that shortly! Having lunch in the middle of the week without having to clock back in to work?!! Yes, please!!! Again, not a brag.
