hungry minds want to know what are in the other boxes?
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There is a whole lot going on in the three story - multiple bar setup at Funke.
Fried Carciofi had a nice hit of anchovy
Amalfitana (lemon) pizza was so tasty
Fettuccini Bolognese was very delicious and rich/unctuous
Fennel slad withgrilled artichokes also terrific.
Very congealed, goopy saucing on the Spaghettini Zuchcine e ricotta but taste was great. Noodles were all stuck together like a thick boatyard rope. I am sure not the way postage stamp generalissimo funke would want it. And he was there expediting.
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a far cry from the post-bucato days when, at least the way it seemed from the Funke documentary, janet zuccarini was taking a big chance on him. Felix almost feels quaint now, in comparison to the new additions…
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This! Thanks for the Felix tip on that one. 
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Lol that profile pic. The John Barrymore of pasta.
sfincione palermitano - focaccia siciliana, sugo di pomodoro, acciughe, caciocavallo stravecchio, mollica
frisella pugliese - burrata pugliese, caponata stagionale, extra virgin olive oil
arancino catanese - riso carnaroli, ragú di carne, caciocavallo
cipollina catanese - pane soffiato, sugo di cipolla, provola ragusana
agrumi - citrus, cipolla rossa, filetti di acciughe, origano selvatico, extra virgin olive oil
boscaiola - wild mushrooms, scamorza, salsiccia, parmigiano reggiano, finocchietto
strangulet, civita, basilicata, cristina - pomodorini, aglio, basil, ricotta salata
busiate, trapani, sicilia, benedetta - pesto trapanese, pomodorini, basil, pecorino stagionato
tagliatelle, bologna, emilia romagna, maestra alessandra - ragu vecchia scuola, parmigiano reggiano
agnolotti dal plin, roddino, piemonte, gemma - sugo di carne, erbette chard, parmigiano reggiano
linguine alle vongole - aglio, olio, peperoncino, mania clams, vino bianco, parsley
spaghetti e carciofie acciughe - carciofi arrostiti, finocchi, acciughe di cetara
crostata di mirtilli - puff pastry, sicilian almonds, crema di bergamotto
cannoli siciliani - murray farm cherries, pistacchi di bronte, madagascar chocolate
meringata - granita di mandarino, finocchio candito, vanilla panna cotta
sorbetti
rabarbaro - rhubarb
fragola - harry’s strawberries
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How can you stick to that low-carb gluten-free diet?
Pizza not quite as good as Mother Wolf? Pasta not always as banging as Felix? 
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funke apps > mother 
> felix
funke desserts > felix > mother
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Funny you posted this. Last night my wife was saying overall she thinks Felix > MW > Funke
I think the Funke needs more time to develop to make a final comparison.
The service and bar program is really great.
The food was certainly not as even last night as MW/Felix in that:
– some dishes were really great (agrumi, vongole, swordfish) and
– one the same as all his other restos (diavola pizza), and
– one was really a mess (spaghetti e carciofi e accuighe - pasta was still really hard in the middle, and the “sauce” was truly voluminous, almost like a carciofi and anchovy salad was just dumped on the pasta, sorry I did not image it)
– one was just OK - arancini catanese
Diavola
Pesce Spada
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Yes, it was $50 for a small plate: Womp Womp 
.
Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe:
Probably should’ve guessed a thick, extruded pasta from Evan Funke might be served on the al dente side. It had the texture of shoestring licorice. 
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Overall, we liked it and thought the flavors were on point. It’s not perfect food, and yes there is a bit of a price premium, but I’d return particularly with guests visiting from out of town. I’m leaning towards Mother Wolf being my favorite of Funke’s three restaurants so far, but this was my first time to Funke.
Favorite dish was the vongole. Cocktails upstairs were very enjoyable. Wines by the glass at dinner were alright/not bad; went home and had a bottle of Domaine Bichery La Source.
Service was very good. The restaurant has a pretty good setup with various bars, especially the rooftop bar upstairs for a drink before or after dinner. We didn’t love the decor in the main dining room, in fact we expected a bit more from the way the buildout was described. Just personal preference. 2010’s playlist of The XX and Chet Faker and such. Chef was in house at the pass expediting or just overseeing.
Thanks @PorkyBelly and others, we enjoyed our time there.
Friselle Pugliese
Very fresh flavors of spring. Excellent snap on the peas and asparagus, especially. There’s also burrata, fried artichokes, mint, and flowers (borage and magnolia?).
This was described to us as “a bagel,” and if I had to nitpick, the way it ate was slightly awkward even though the ingredients were delicious and it was a great bite after some work. I think if they cut the bread first, then reassembled and plated it, it would be easier. We had to cut the bread, which was slightly awkward, then smear some burrata on it and recompose vegetables on top before eating it. The NBA player who ordered it at the table next to us sat kind of confused on how to eat it at first 
. Nonetheless, a great bite of spring. Fairly large portion.
Carciofi alla Giudea
Very nice Roman Jewish-style fried artichokes, with a little bit of anchovy and mint. Well seasoned. A bunch of smaller ones now instead of a big one as I’m used to seeing. A couple of them had noticably tougher stems, but I’m being nitpicky.
Agrumi
Great combination of citrus, anchovies, red onion, and oregano. Slight issue with proportions here. The combination of everything was very good, but we could’ve used some more anchovy and red onion compared to the oranges. Or just give 30% less citrus to balance it out. They did check to make sure we’re cool with anchovies, so I think maybe they’re sensitive to the public’s perception of anchovies being very strong. These were great, however, and the bites that got everything were very nice. The oregano was key.
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
Fresh pasta via matarello of course. Very good. I think I remember Felix’s pasta having a little bit more bite back. Yes, I know that fresh pasta is not supposed to be “al dente.” I want to say that this is a very good Bolognese, in fact if you had to press me on where there’s a better one in LA or California for that matter (outside of Funke’s restaurants), I’m not sure off the top of my head. Maybe one exists but who’s doing tagliatelle by matarello?
I think I may have liked it more had I not recently had the Bolognese by chef Funke’s friend Kosaku Kawamura at his Tokyo restaurant “Base - La Pasta dello Sfoglino.” I think Funke’s sauce is a bit better, more pork flavor and better cheese, but the noodle at Base in Tokyo was a notch up, by my preference. Base’s had a more distinct mouthfeel of the way the very thin noodles wrapped around the fork and had a better bite back.
for comparison - at Base recently:
Thinner (not narrower) noodles that gathered differently and more “alive” in texture. Now I’m really being nitpicky. We did like Funke’s but I wished one could combine Kawamura’s noodles with Funke’s sauce and cheese.
Base’s Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
Base’s Tagliatelle en Bianco
now back to Funke…
Linguine alle Vongole
Very good dish, as others mentioned. My favorite of the night. Excellent clam flavor (and fragrance) suffused throughout. Two had some grit, and one was closed, but excellent flavors. I have a suspicion this is done risottata to get all that clam flavor. If I had to guess, this dried noodle strongly reminds me of Rustichella d’Abruzzo pasta di gragnano linguine, but of course it could be anything.
Scottadito (lamb chops)
Very tender, well seasoned. Left temperature up to them and it came cooked medium. A little bit thin, compared to the garnish. I liked the peas, parsley, and mint. I thought that the fennel and the abundance of sautéed green onions was a little unnecessary, and this was best when garnished with just a little. Perhaps it was supposed to be a bed for garnish.
Meringata orange, fennel, and vanilla panna cotta
Very good flavors, not too sweet. Good concept with the granita. The meringue was bit sticky dense chewy. I can see them improving on the meringue texture.
Bomboloni with rhubarb sorbet and Harry’s Berries strawberries
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Sure it is.
Going to disagree with you on that one.
From Evan Funke’s book American Sfoglino (in the introductory section on “Fundamentals: Cooking Pasta”):
“And, in case you’re wondering, fresh pasta cannot be cooked to al dente because it was never hard to begin with.”
Chef Evan also discusses this when talking about the extensibility and elasticity of fresh pasta dough.
I’ve had this discussion with my friend from Umbria whose family makes fresh stringozzi and is friends with Paolo Bea, and with an acquaintance from Rome whose in-laws have a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy. The bite of fresh pasta vs. dried pasta is noticeably different, and particularly with dairy-based sauces with fresh noodles made with egg (including tagliatelle alla ragu Bolognese), the goal is not quite al dente.
Sure, the distinction is subtle, but from Evan Funke’s own words, the fresh pasta is not supposed to be “al dente.”
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Italians talk about fresh pasta al dente, so I don’t care what pontificating bullshit he says. Fresh or dried, it means not overcooked until it doesn’t resist your bite as it should.
Love the flex. Can I get some cases?
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