We always felt like the idea of Restaurant Week was to give you an opportunity to try various restaurants at discounted prices. The restaurants have an opportunity to expand their clientele for a week and hopefully present a good enough experience to bring them back. We had tried Drago Centro during our first LA Restaurant Week in early 2009 and were severely disappointed. Ever since then, we've continued to read various reviews that sang its praises. These reviews pushed us closer and closer to returning and it wasn't until the restaurant's appearance on Blackboard Eats that we finally made our way back. This time, we opted for the degustation tasting menu.
1. amuse bouche - prosciutto-wrapped fig with pinenuts - This dish fell flat. Proscuitto lacked any resonance. Pinenuts lacked texture. The fig played the most prominent role when it should have been complimenting the rest of the items on the spoon.
2. il granchio - crab salad, basil pesto, radicchio - Large chunks of crab meat are always a plus. Its subtle sweetness was complimented well by the leafy greens and little dollops of a mayo-based "dressing". Would definitely order this again.
3. i ravioli - shrimp and scallop ravioli, lemon, chile - Another winning dish. The scallop may had been a tad overdone, but not enough to detract from it's overall flavor. The ravioli was a pocket full of yummy. The pasta was cooked al dente and the seafood filling was very tasty.
4. il tonno - seared yellow tail, summer caponata - Well executed while lacking appeal. A really nice summer protein dish. Cool and light, yet somewhat filling. The yellow tail was nicely seared with a fantastic texture. The turnoff was the accompanying sauce. Not that it was unpleasant, it just didn't suit our palates.
5. le orecchiette alla bolognese - orecchiette, bolognese, bread crumbs - Having created our version of bolognese on numerous occassions, customizing it to our own taste preferences, we've become extremely picky about the flavor of bolognese. The pasta was well cooked. The sauce was nice and meaty. But the overall flavors lacked much significance. Again, I don't think it lacked execution. The dish just didn't have a flavor profile we're accustomed to when it comes to bolognese.
6A. la guancia di vitella - braised pork cheek, alba mushroom, fava bean risotto - Braised cheeks typically come prepared with a generic flavor profile; heavily sauced and a bit salty. This preparation was no different. The meat was tender and the risotto helped balance out the dish. However, the grains were a bit undercooked and starchy. Not necessarily something worth ordering again.
6B. lamb - We'd asked for a substitute dish for D as she is not a fan of anything braised. However, she didn't fare much better with the severly undercooked lamb. The center was nearly inedible. However, we were close enough to the end of the meal that we were probably better off not having to finish this dish.
7. la terrina di fragola - white chocolate strawberry terrine, black pepper - A nice way to end the meal. This ending was similar to a japanese cheesecake in texture. Light and airy. Didn't taste too much of the black pepper, but it seems to be fashionable to put it in desserts now.
Overall, a much more positive experience than our first meal at Drago Centro. The food was a lot better even with a couple of misses. The service, however, was disappointing. Our waiter only checked on us once throughout the meal. So we saw him a total of three times (seating, check up, tab) throughout our seven courses. We also had to ask a separate waitstaff for our bread, which is typically served without request. Not sure if it was our usage of the Blackboard Eats coupon, but that shouldn't be an excuse for mediocre service. We've yet to have the overall positive dining experience of some of the reviews we've read about this place. And after this last meal, we may leave the door slightly open for another return visit. But probably not anytime soon.