Los Angeles, CA 90189
A belated birthday dinner at Speranza, courtesy of Becky and Ben, turned out to be the perfect ending to a week-long string of birthday dinners. It's nice having friends that like to eat - that's how we learn about all these yummy restaurants that have skipped our radar. Speranza is Silverlake's neighborhood Italian eatery, serving up simple and delicious fresh pasta dishes.
1. hamachi carpaccio salad - this is one of Becky's favorites - fresh slivers of hamachi and hints of citrus paired well with the bitterness of the arugula. There was also a similar dish on the menu, beef carpaccio - will definitely need to try that next time.
2. squid ink pasta with baby squid - Delish!! This was Danmy's favorite dish. The pasta was cooked al dente and was thickly coated with a rich, garlicky sauce. Small chunks of perfectly cooked squid were nestled under the pasta.
3. linguine & clams - Ray's favorite dish - can't really go wrong with fresh pasta, garlic and clams!
Overall, we were very pleasantly surprised by Speranza.The meal started with piping hot french baguette slices served with fresh marinara and tampenade. It ended with a home-made almond biscotti-meringue cookie courtesy of the owner's grandmother. I tried to get the name of the cookie and hopefully the recipe (it was delish!) but according to the waiter, it was Grandma's own recipe and he didn't sound like he wanted to share it with me. Maybe I didn't hint hard enough. I will definitely need to buddy up to the owner next time so I can get the recipe.
It has been awhile since we've had a good, no-frills bowl of pasta- the last time probably being Babbo in NYC. This is definitely a place we would recommend to friends and gladly return. Thanks B&B for a wonderful birthday dinner!!!