When the (Mid-Autumn Festival) moon hits your eye (and you feel) like a big pizza pie,
That’s amore…
Without much fanfare, Roberta’s Pizza at Platform LA quietly opened for business over the weekend. Lots of table and bar seats were open when I sauntered in.
Lemonade: My mistake in ordering this. Not that it was bad, I mean the lemonade was fine in and of itself. But the sourness overpowered lots of the more delicate flavors of the night. Wanting to remain a teetotaler on a Monday night, I stuck with water the rest of the meal. (BTW: Plastic straw?! And at PlatformLA, of all places?! lol) There are lots of drinking options here at Roberta’s, with wines by the glass, bottle, cocktails, draft beers, and other beers available to order.
Our Bread and Cultured Butter, with Sicilian Anchovies: Worth it. The taste of this presentation is reminiscent of the delicious sfincione at Felix. The oil from the anchovies really elevate this already addictive bread.
Famous Original Pizza, with Tomato, Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Caciocavallo & Red Pepper Flakes: Great, great pie. Even better than the one I had at the Roberta’s Pop-Up last year. The crust was damn near perfect in terms of its crunchiness versus softness. Just a really enjoyable pizza.
Gratuitous undercarriage shot…
Sweet and Baby Corn, Lightly Steamed with Garlic Chive & Black Lime: A nice contrast of sweet and sour. (They were not serving the yellow polenta with Santa Barbara uni, clam broth, pear & nasturtium today…)
Bucatini Carbonara, with Guanciale & Pecorino with Egg Yolk: The flavors here were a tad too strong and not melded enough together as a whole (which would have made it work better overall). I also found the pasta to be a bit past al dente as well. (They were not serving the gigli vongole today…)
No dessert menu (“It’s coming,” as my friendly server informed me when I inquired)…
While their pizza game is undeniably strong, I’m not yet convinced on the rest of the menu here at Roberta’s. Given it’s only their third night of operations, the proverbial return visit shall likely reveal more of the tale. Come here for the pizza and grab a drink or three!
RECOMMENDED.
Roberta’s Pizza
at PLATFORM
8850 Washington Bl.
Culver City, CA 90232
website
p.s. Post-Roberta’s Bang bang: Affogato at Van Leeuwen… Hits the spot, so I can go admire more full autumn moon, and still have the energy to do this writeup.