After the four wonderful events of the L.A. Food & Wine Festival that I attended (#1, #2, #3 & #4), what better way to share the amazing time with my family of foodies than to… eat dinner at Bestia!
Honestly, I was pretty much stuffed… but when the food started rolling in, it wasn’t hard to tasting a bit here and there… and then reach for seconds and thirds!
I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me show you around the restaurant, which takes advantage of its location in the Arts District to shape its distinctive vibe.
The interior is rustic and with exposed brick and ductwork, plus metal fixtures, but it’s all beautifully put together.
Lastly before sharing the food, we brought along some wine, which is of some interest to my readers. I’ll try to remember to share the wines we drink, because it is part of the dining experience! This time, we uncorked a 2010 No Girls from the La Paciencia Vineyard.
Now, to the food and drink!
We are a farro loving family! It was cooked slightly tougher than usual, but I liked the nuttiness!
This dish was impeccable! I love the color and tartness that the pickled shallots added to the classic lamb and mint combination. One of the favorites!
I have a weakness for polenta and anything creamy. You don’t even have to ask how much I loved this. 🙂
My parents love their chicken livers. I’ve never been completely sold, but this is the closest dish that has come to converting me. The liver lovers were fans!
You might not notice on first glance at this dish, but the braised beet greens were an unusual and tasty addition to the tomato sauce. Easily, another dish to be ordered over and over again!
Lamb sausage is yet another weakness of mine, so I was already sold before even laying eyes on the pizza. So when I saw it, and I got even more excited. Then I tasted it… and I was in heaven.
There are a few reasons we always order Margherita pizzas when we eat out.
- My dad loves them
- Even the vegetarians can indulge
- I can compare each restaurant’s take on a classic dish
- Um, it’s a Margherita pizza. Yum!
Just read the ingredients: cacao, oxtail, butter, cheese, pine nuts, and currants. All these ingredients are amazing, but I feel like this would be a basket of ingredients from Chopped, right? Somehow, they come together in this wonderful dish, which I highly recommend!
My mouth is watering just looking at the picture. The hearty lamb argue is perfectly paired with the chewy pici, or a fat, hand-rolled spaghetti. Simply amazing and one of my favorites of the night!
A lovely garden pasta for all my vegetarian friends! This was just as delicious as it was colorful and beautiful.
As always, I gravitate towards squid ink pastas! This was dressed up with beautiful seafood, spiced with chilies, and had a slight tang from the beautiful lemon zest. Of course, this was one of my favorites!
Almost to beautiful to eat. Almost. We pretty much decimated this in about 2 minutes.
Embarassingly, I thought pistachio ice cream was the weirdest thing as a child. Thank goodness taste evolves, because I adore it now!
The crostatas at Bestia use the best in season fruit, and since it’s summertime… it’s all about the stone fruit! Good thing too, because I love a sweet and sour plum!
Before seeing the food, you might have been wondering how I possibly ate dinner after such a food-filled weekend. Now, you know the answer! My family has learned that my eyes are never bigger than my stomach, and now you do too! 🙂
Still, next time I’m coming back with an empty stomach so I can eat just a bit more of my new favorite dishes!
Bestia
2121 East 7th Place
Los Angeles, CA 90021
www.bestiala.com
(213) 514-5724
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