In Search of Lunchtime Pasta, from Disappointing to Excellent - Knead & Co., Pasta Sisters, Cento Pasta Bar, Bulgarini, Factory Kitchen and Drago Centro

Okay… That’s it!!

:smile:

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Drooling. Reminds me when I was a kid. My parents and their friends used to get abalone off PV and a few other places. Dee-li-shus!

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Well… that was kinda’ cute.

lol, a classic from the old dr. Demento show

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Not the best boyfriend. sigh

But a pretty darn good husband (different lady than mentioned previously), happily married for the last 14 years. We both love to eat, and perhaps better yet, we both love to shop for food and cook.

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@Chowseeker1999

BUT WHERE DO YOU PARK FOR CENTO?

Hi @Bookwich,

That’s the tough question and one reason it’s not always pleasant. I just look for street parking along 6th or Main, but sometimes you have to go further and walking in and of itself is fine, but some of the streets are so soiled it’s revolting. :frowning: So you might have to pay for Lot Parking (there’s one right on the corner of 6th & Main, and more along Main IIRC).

Okay. It doesn’t look Metro close, so I was wondering.

Pasta Sisters is like a revelation. For about $10 (or less) you can get fresh made pasta in a house made sauce…can’t do that at a mass-chain joint. We walked in at about 11:40AM on Friday, and were greeted warmly by Francesca and her son (?). We picked the pasta, and she made the sauce suggestions.
Tagliatelle with bolognese sauce…pasta was so good and al dente and the sauce was the perfect amount of beefiness. We loved it.


Pappardelle with porcini cream sauce…the pasta was so good, and we were told that the porcini mushrooms are flown in fresh from Italy. I loved it…I can still taste the sauce in the back of my mouth. If that’s the case, then $13 for this plate is a steal.

I wish we lived in the area…this would definitely be our go-to pasta spot. While we were there, we noticed a lot of take-out business. I wonder how well the pasta holds up to travel.

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Isn’t it great. I see they upped the amount of sauce on the bolognese. That was my only complaint… I wanted more :stuck_out_tongue:.

If the man was in his 30’s and red-haired, I think he’s the brother. They’re a crack-up.

I also wondered about how well the pasta travels. It seems like it would be best hot and fresh off the stove. They do refrigerate and sell some of their sauces.

Glad you got to try Pasta Sisters!

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And they are EXCELLENT! Try the pesto. It’s essentially basil butter and goes SO WELL on pasta as well as spread on pizza, grilled bread, to flavor soups.

–Dommy!

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Oh wow…that is great!

Just watched the video Aesthete posted. He’s the son and the brother… and the nephew… alla famiglia :relaxed:.

Update 4:

Just when I thought I could get away from Pasta for awhile, we ended up trying a few more noteworthy Pasta dishes recently. :smile:

Jon & Vinny’s (Revisit)

Spaghetti (Six Hour Bolognese, Parmesan):

This was a very good Bolognese. A nice balance of the fragrant meaty qualities of seasoned Ground Beef, Tomatoes, herbs and slow-cooking for 6 hours. Combined with perfect al dente Housemade Spaghetti, and you have a very good pasta dish (much better than their disappointing Cacio e Pepe and Agnolotti). :slight_smile:

However, paying roughly $29(!) for a plate of this Bolognese pasta is borderline outrageous, especially when compared to the superior Tagliatelle Bolognese at Pasta Sisters for only $8.75 (+ tax & tip). And Cento Pasta’s Spaghetti Bolognese is also far more crave-worthy and is only $9 (+ tax & tip).

Spicy Fusilli (Vodka, Basil, Parmesan):

Their Fusilli is Jon & Vinny’s take on the Italian-American classic, except far more refined, and we thought it was more delicious than their Bolognese. There’s a creaminess to their Spicy Vodka Sauce, although their Fusilli was a touch overcooked (soft), but still quite good. It’s only $1.50 cheaper than the Bolognese, so you’re still looking to spend about $27+ for this pasta plate.

Jon & Vinny’s
412 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel: (323) 334-3369

Cento Pasta Bar

We revisited Cento Pasta Bar to see what Chef Lavi’s been up to, but also to clarify how he’s juggling his time between 2 different pop-ups (with overlapping times). As an FYI, Chef Avner Lavi is primarily at Cento Pasta Bar (Downtown LA), but he’ll show up at Andare (at Birch) in Hollywood on Mondays & Tuesdays (since Cento is closed on those days anyways). The rest of the time, he cooks at Cento (that’s where we’ll be ;)), and he trained some chefs to cook at Andare.

Manchini (Uni, Pacific Spiny Lobster):

This was an interesting dish. Briny from the cooked Santa Barbara Uni and Pacific Spiny Lobster, it was different from the usual Japanese-Italian style “Uni Pasta” you see at many places. It was more ocean-y (in a good way), more salt-forward (not as focused on the creamy). It was good, but we were hoping for more chunks of the Pacific Spiny Lobster (it was almost “melted” into the sauce with tiny bits here and there).

Spaghetti (Squid Ink):

And then we get to this dish. Visually, this looks like the typical “shock value” Squid Ink Pasta you might’ve seen a few years ago at trendy restaurants, presenting the ebony-colored Pasta more for the stunning color rather than actual taste. And your taste buds start to prepare yourself for that funky, briny, ocean burst of flavor you associate with usual Squid Ink Pastas.

Instead, Chef Avner pulls a stunning trick bordering on the twists on your senses you read about with places like El Bulli: Taking a bite and you’re greeted with this amazing, absolutely delicious Classic Italian Marinara Sauce crossed with a Ragu! It is SO GOOD! :heart:

Chef Avner said it’s not his Bolognese (which is fantastic), but it’s a long-stewed Tomato-based Italian Sauce with some nice meaty chunks in there. The Squid Ink was only for color (and there’s no perceptible ocean taste).

This is one of the best lunchtime pastas we’ve had in a while, and really playful in it’s visual and taste disparity. :slight_smile: $12 (+tax & tip).

Wed - Sat
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cento Pasta Bar (at Mignon)
128 E. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tel: (213) 489-0131

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I love Jon and Vinnys but don’t recall it being that outrageous. Also, their website is showing those two pastas for $22 and $20. Did they just recently jack up the prices?

$22 + $1.93 tax + $4.30 automatic 18% tip = $28.24

I am guessing that is where he is getting the numbers.

That actually is worse, too, because the fusilli used to be a mere $18.75 (plus tax/automatic tip).

Still, there is nowhere else one can get a fusilli vodka of that quality, so they can charge whatever they want shrugs.

However, I would’ve sent it back if it came out soft. Every time I’ve had it the best part is the chewy al dente nature of the fusilli they produce.

Hi @Helper_Monkey,

Yah it’s $22.25 +tax & +automatic $18% service charge +any additional tip you want to leave.

Wow @Chowseeker1999. You really put this in perspective. Pasta Sisters is really spoiling it. Yes Jon & Vinny’s is a fun, hip little sit down (you know how I love what those guys are doing). So there’s that. But really, if you’re looking for just a great pasta dish, J&V’s should be passed up for Pasta Sisters. I just wrote that :astonished:.

I have to get thee to one of Chef Avner’s places. That Squid Ink Spaghetti seems far out.

Hi @Helper_Monkey. I thought the same thing at first, that their prices have gone up. But @Aesthete’s calculations put it in perspective. Have we decided the 18% is actually a tip and not a healthcare thingy? I thought that was still a vague area.

Anyway, happy pasta eating!

Okay that’s what I thought. You had replied while I was still typing… wordy me :slight_smile:.