Uovo - 2nd street SaMo - the next great leap forward for Pasta in LA

Tried it for lunch today.
Had quite a fantastic Tonnarelli all’Amatriciana, certainly the best version of the dish I’ve had in the USA.
The guanciale in the dish has got to be Italian-sourced, it is incredible - the right amount of fat and crunch to each bite, with a rich porky flavor.The noodles were spot on.
@Chowseeker1999 - look forward to your report and pictures.

This kind of Italian “execution” usually requires mobsters, not chef’s!

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I was going to post to see if anyone had tried this place yet.

I’m assuming everything is Italian-sourced, if they’re flying in their pasta from Italy daily…

Did you have lunch w/ @Chowseeker1999???

Glad to hear it’s good.

Editing to add website (it’s Santa Monica): https://uovo.la/

Hahahahahaha!
If I had lunched with @Chowseeker1999 I would - in all probability - still be at lunch ordering MORE. Not at my desk!

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Andy Gavin has a review up.

“Rating: Very good classic Italian pastas”

The actual content of the review did not make it sound very exciting but I guess I should check it out if I’m in the area.

I personally don’t need exciting. Simple and tasty does it for me. Might give it a try this weekend…

Thanks for the post and link…
Cannot agree with Gavin here, "tailored to appeal to really straight up American tastes "
Shit is as Italian as Vespas, prostitution and espresso at midnight.

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Is that a quote from Crash Bandicoot?

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Overnighting pasta from Italy is a new gimmick. Nice-looking menu.

Which reminds me about driving in Chianti (from Greve to Volterra) in April and observing two prostitutes a 1/2 km from each other, on a country road, at 10 am…

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Do all 3 of those happen at midnight???

I am surprised to - I guess the rest were still working.

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Was it near a military base?

hope… just rural area… vineyards everywhere… very young african girls… observed same in other places also

@CiaoBob how do you feel about the QPR? Was looking at the menu and with the average price around $15…seems kind of expensive for sort of a casual/chipotle type place…am i wrong?

Also how are the portions?

It is the same amount of pasta as Pasta Sisters (10 bucks) and The Ponte (22 bucks, when last I at there). Plenty for me at lunch, but if it were dinner, I would want something else. One of the veg dishes, and I would be good I think.

QPR? Fair for the area I suppose
– better in that the ingredients are of excellent quality
– worse in that it is, more or less, just a counter joint.

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as Italian as Vespas, prostitution and espresso at midnight.

This is why the Oxford comma is important.

I will definitely check this place out. I’m in that neighborhood often, and bored with the offerings roundabouts.

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Glad you agree!

I imagine the cost of rent in that area of SaMo vs. Pasta Sister is HUGE, so the price for Uovo, on paper, does not seem unreasonable to me, esp if it tastes good. :slight_smile:

Tried it tonight. The place is a madhouse, w/ a large crowd standing outside (since the inside is VERY cramped). It’s essentially a long counter + perhaps 3-4 larger tables (enough for about 4-6 people at each). We waited about 45 min (I think).

We ordered roasted broccolini, cacio e pepe, and the ragu. The broccolini is INSANELY good (and I normally am NOT a fan). Delicate, wonderfully charred edges, and whatever dressing it was tossed in is like crack. Menu warns that the cacio e pepe is “salt forward” (no, I’m not kidding). And indeed it is. I actually wouldn’t have minded even a bit more funk, but this was delicious. The pasta is mixed and poured onto the dish right in front of you. Ragu looked incredibly boring (literally just like noodles + some ground beef on top). It was AMAZING and well-balanced (w/ the pasta being infused w/ some sort of invisible sauce).

This is one of the food times I tried to slow my eating b/c I wanted the pasta to last longer.

The food is somewhat (and surprisingly) light, although the portions aren’t small. I would say Pasta Sisters is heartier, but I also feel like the two place are TOTALLY different animals. We (me + partner) were pleasantly full but could’ve easily talked ourselves into a 3rd dish.

No tipping allowed (16% gratuity added in).

Was it worth waiting 45 min for? Yeah, I think so. But, at the same time, I can’t call it a destination (this isn’t a place designed for lingering, although wait staff is very kind). It’s just wonderfully made pasta and a few (3) side dishes. I think it’s a great addition. Maybe try it for lunch, if you’re not in the mood to wait (I overheard someone saying that he’d driven by it a few times around lunch and that it wasn’t full).

No photos b/c the plating is about as simple as can be; it’s also really dark inside.

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Glad you liked it.
Lunch on a Friday was about 25% full at 11:45 and about 85% full at 12:30 - there were no lines. The manger told me evening lines have been building at peak hours on Friday and Sat but not other nights.

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