Sor Tino, Brentwood - An Overlooked Gem

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
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I don’t know why Sor Tino gets so little attention around here or in the LA newspapers, magazines, webpages, and blogs.
The food is as good as (and in some cases better) any of the Brentwood/SaMo/BH heavy hitters (Giorgio Baldi, Vincenti, Madeo) and the prices are quite a bit lower. The service is as Northern Italian as it gets. The pastas are absolute perfection. getting in is never a problem and the place is filled with lots of “real” Italians eating the food, serving the food and cooking the food.

Culatello plate with pickled Veggies and 4 (unsugared) zeppole. I have to admit in many, many trips to Italy I have never seen fried bread (zeppole are like torpedo-shaped New Orleans beignets) served with culatello, but the combo worked amazingly well. The culatello was outstanding. Since the culatello ban was lifted a few years ago, I don’t know why more places in LA don’t serve this Emilia Romagna porcine treasure.

Fennel Salad with Pecorino was perfection

Veal Tortelinni in Brodo - simple, rustic, classic delicious.

Razor Clams and Spaghetti - masterful.

An excellent meal - with 4 glasses of wine and one beer around $130.

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Off the top of med head, the prices seem the same or only slightly more expensive than Pizzicotto (which I like but find a touch overpriced… Or, perhaps I should say I wouldn’t mind a smaller quantity of higher quality food for the same price). How does Sor Tino compare to Pizzicotto?

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Do not know it

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It’s just up the street on San Vicente (slightly west of Barrington).

May have to compare and report back. :slight_smile:

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Only a small amount of culatello (at one time a single producer) is USDA-approved for import to the US.

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Tragic situation - but improving.

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Thanks but I don’t think that place is my cup of java – the menu looks far too Cal-talian for my tastes.
Sor Tino is a whole different animale.

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I meant I might have to compare and report back. :slight_smile:

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I hope you do and enjoy!

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Hm, I might need to check it out now. I wrote about it years ago it seems.

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hey Matthew, have you been to Pizzana yet? thoughts…

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Funny you ask that, I went last night for the first time. I thought the pizza was really, really good. Like potentially one of the best in town, certainly one of the best on the Westside. i got the Amatriciana and plan to try more. The sides/apps weren’t as good, but the rhubarb cake was a must-order.

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Heard good things about Pizzana (from friends with their own pizza oven!).
Two hr wait without reservations on Monday night. That is how I ended up (happily) at Sor Tino.

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Yeah they’ve been slammed most likely bc it’s become a celebrity hangout with Chris O’Donnell talking about it on Conan last week.

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i really enjoyed it, too…a bit disappointed that it was tough to order a pie that differed from the menu selections…perhaps my funniest food experience…i just wanted what i always order, a margherita w/sausage…but they only allowed cotto and proscuitto as toppings for the margherita…so, like Jack Nicholson in “5 Easy Pieces,” I ordered the “carnivoro” but asked them to hold the prosciutto, red onions and pepperoni…a little pricey, no?

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Funny.

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Yeah i never thought about customization there. It’s pricey but it’s also Brentwood. The pies are large at least, like two people can share one if you order a few apps. I’ll happily pay for quality. Una Pizza Napoletana’s are like $25 lol and they dont’ with any meat

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Hi @lapizzamaven,

How did you think it compared with your fav South End (and DeSano)? Thanks.

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Hey Chowseeker! personally, Id go to South End but it was excellent…i’ll have to go a couple more times for a clearer determination…Actually, i had a great pie at Stella Barra in SM a couple weeks ago and a friend tells me theyve been very consistent…its a crisper pie, as is South End…closer in texture to Mozza…probably a “harder” flour than Caputo 00

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