Drago Centro: Ultimate Urban Italian

I've been eyeing this place since it was under construction. I work in the building next door (City National Plaza) so invariably I was very interested in the new Drago coming in. The design of the dining room is spectacular, sweeping, cavernous, modern, sexy, sleek. Perhaps a tad loud, but sometimes banter and badinage add energy to a business lunch or dinner date.

My lunch today was neither, but rather an amalgam of those two, a lunch date with my dearest Christine, who stopped by the Financial District for a last minute lunch. We were opportunistic in that our lunch coincided with the second day of DineLA, a two week bonanza of prix fixe deals.

We ordered every dish available for the special and started with venison carpaccio and fresh tomato basil linguine. The venison was spectacular, melt-in-your-mouth consistency with a peppery, lemony finish that lingered without a hint of gaminess. Candied walnuts and tender, bitter greens supplied a nutty, sweet, and bitter foil to the carpaccio while a light vinaigrette bound the flavors together. The fresh green basil linguine was almost creamy but with a slight bite to accentuate the tomato sauce that accompanied. Addictive and generously portioned, it was a triumph.



We requested a bread course and we had a very good selection of these fresh baked breads. I especially liked the mini ciabattas.

Main courses came as braised short rib with luxurious polenta and scottish salmon atop elegant green and white asparagus and halved cherry tomatoes. An orange sauce glazed the accoutrements of the salmon dish while preserving the fantastic sear and salted seasoning of the fish. The interior was a perfect medium rare and the presentation allowed for a pristine communication of the fish's flavors.

Braised short ribs were texturally superb through the glaze was not as sweet as others I've had. Despite this deficiency I was actually happier that the robust beefiness of the short rib was more apparent. I longed for a glass of fine Italian barolo (though I refrained for this lunch hour).

Desserts were also successful as a silky vanilla cotta came topped with in-season citrus and a grape-half, while the martini-glassed tiramisu perhaps egocentricly dusted with chocolate in a large "D" (for Drago) was one of the better iterations of the famous Italian dessert I've had. Opulent mascarpone and amaretto ladyfinders came together nicely while a fresh cappuccino held the sweetness at bay.

Service was impeccable, neither slothful nor pretentious, helpful in every step and accommodating at every moment (they supplied cutlery and extra plates at a moment's notice). My only qualm was the proximity of the banquette seating (perhaps to maximize the square footage of which I do not blame them), and the atrociously minerally tap water, of which a fine filter would have helped (no doubt an effort to encourage bottled water sales).

Whatever the case, the dining companion outshone even the food and service. There's nothing quite like a working professional dearly visited by his loved one during the lunch hour at a swanky new restaurant in Downtown. It makes one work harder, and know that the support for the long hours and strenuous labor at the office is not only felt, but admirably effable. They talk about how good days are made, well Drago was not only there - it helped it to come true.

This was the first meal of my DineLA meals the past few weeks (DineLA's special frix fixes have been extended at many of the participating restaurants).

Drago Centro
525 S Flower St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 228-8998

La Grande Orange: Modernized Comfort

In tough times people don't want emulsions and tiny bites hanging from elaborate mechanisms (that's you Alinea). They want something they recognize, something grandma made, or perhaps something hearty despite lean economic times. Mostly people want something familiar, like La Grande Orange. Though the name is a mouthful for simpler folk, the dishes at LGO are exactly what you want on a cool Sunday evening or a lazy Wednesday night after a long Hump Day. Stationed in the Del Mar Gold Line stop, LGO states the serious intent of its food with a quote from Pasadena-native Julia Child hovering over the kitchen: "Some people like to paint pictures or do gardening or built a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing or wood carving or music."

We started out with their signature deviled eggs, which are better off with some "no-charge" bacon bits and lined up in a clean row of six. For two of us, we ordered half and this excellent studio-like photo came out. I'm quite pleased. The texture was perfect and the hint of mustard in the filling belied the heavy yolks.


For entree, we had the braised short rib topped with egg (another NC, or no charge as designated on the menu). Peeling away the flattened fried egg, we saw a marvelous mound of tender short rib embdedded on a bevy of a root vegetables and mashed potatoes. We had the farmer's market-fresh wax beans and macaroni & cheese on the side. Wax beans were blanched and slightly seasoned, preserving their excellent color and crunchy bite. The macaroni was ever-so-slightly on the watery side, but the rich cheese was forgiving. Both were successful pairings to the braised meat.


On previous occasions I've had the ahi tuna burger, fried chicken, and acqua pazza (a white fish). All were solidly delicious though not necessarily groundbreaking. Desserts were superlative, with a Key Lime pie that could temper any anxieties. With such approachable fare at affordable prices just slightly above your standard-issue Cheesecake Factory, La Grande Orange lets you cherish what you have while helping you appreciate the present. The environs are sleek but the food is warm, pure comfort.

La Grande Orange Cafe
260 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626)-356-4444

Restaurant Review: Craft

Now I'm writing nearly back to back restaurant reviews, but this one was way overdue. I've heard from various non-foodies at my office who have visited Craft that they found it underwhelming at best. Perhaps they didn't order the right food because I found the food to be excellent and the service to be perfect.

I'll say with a caveat that I think we got a little bit of special treatment because I was taking pictures (for this food blog) and my friend Daniel was telling them that he had applied earlier in the week for a position in the kitchen as a line cook.

We met earlier that evening after he finished his shift at another large Century City restaurant (to be unnamed) at Pink Taco's 2 for 1 Happy Hour. We quickly downed a pink margarita and half bottles of Dos Equis before bolting to Craft on a complete whim. Daniel wanted to check out the dining room and observe their dinner service while I just wanted a few more drinks at the bar.

We sat at the wide but comfortable bar near the entrance and was promptly served by the bartender, Pete, a tall guy that reminded me much of Michael Ruhlman. I asked for the Collins, which came generously with Plymouth Gin and topped with lemongrass soda. It was mixed superbly and was a refreshing aperitif.

Daniel and I decided to just eat our dinner here so we ordered the pig's head and housemade pickles, braised short rib, and pureed potatoes. A quick amuse of shrimp fritter and corn custard began our adventure, an appetizing interplay of hot-cold and fried/creamy. Next came the pig's head, dressed with parsley, endive, and the spectacular pickles providing a sufficiently vinegary contrast to the deep fried pig's head slices. The slices reminded me much of donkatsu but without the sauce. It was an excellent start.

Shortly thereafter, the kitchen brought out a simple ravioli of braised pork and quail egg, the fresh pasta covering the dark discs drenched in jus. While the ravioli was near the threshold of my salt tolerance, it was savory and comforting, the luscious meat and egg yolk contrasted with the al dente pasta. With a glass of Hungarian pinot noir (suggested by our man Pete), it was a smashing pairing. The bright ruby tinted wine was balanced in structure with very little tannin. The bouquet was superbly aromatic, but the palate was a bit more prosaic, perhaps all the better to pair with the ravioli.

At a perfect pace, our entree came when our appetites were hungry for more. The pureed potatoes, which came in a small copper sauce pan, were velvety as if hand-pushed through a tamis. They weren't as rich as what you might expect at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, but they were a perfect accompaniment to the braised short rib, whose dark brown color and perfect sauce were presented in a mini-dutch oven. Daniel employed his plating skills by spreading the pommes on our plates and topping it artfully with short rib. I rudely splattered some of the sauce over the construction and dug in. The textures were mesmerizing, the rich potatoes undergirding the slightly sweet, smoky short rib meat. Aromas of herbs and braised root vegetables danced on the palate like waltzing dignitaries caught in a sudden up-tempo. Bliss resulted.

The portion was very generous and neither Daniel nor I finished off the entree. We saw the dessert menu and were astounded by its variety. There were enough ice cream flavors to make Scoops green with envy. We ordered the sampler of lemon verbena, buttermilk (!?), and maple bacon, along with an order of the roasted peaches with basil. There really couldn't have been a better pairing than the peaches with the buttermilk ice cream. I doubt I could ever find a dessert so satisfyingly simple but purely pleasurable. The lemon verbena ice cream was a little strong for my tastes and the maple bacon was actually savory with smoky bacon bits! We were given some delightful petit fours and handed a small plastic bag of blueberry cornbread muffin to have with our coffee the next morning (which I just consumed at my desk).

In retrospect, I believe we were given some of the best service I have ever received at a restaurant. Each course supplied new silverware and clean, warm plates. Water was promptly refilled and Pete kept us highly entertained. He's a bona-fide foodie himself, passionate about wine and knowledgeable about the entire menu, which apparently changes on a daily basis. Daniel and I were very impressed by his crisp service and easy-going demeanor. The chef de cuisine, Matt Accarrino came afterwards to greet us and speak briefly with Daniel regarding his potential employment there. We left extremely full (and still slightly buzzed), but nevertheless very pleased with our experience. Perhaps a more casual meal at the bar would be preferred over table service in the powerhouse dining room full of Industry powerbrokers, but when it comes down to it, the food and service shines brighter than anything else at Craft.

(photos unavailable and in my opinion, unacceptable. As a budding photographer I'm ashamed of the flashed photos of our meal but I may post them later. My SLR's been out of commission as of late, so maybe I'll take pictures at another visit, which I certainly will if Daniel gets the job). Above photo courtesy NY Times