Welcome to my first column for beverlyhillspeople.com. I’m all about friendship, and so is this first outing.
Last Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending the engagement party of the beautiful Lucia Singer and her handsome Irish beau, Darrach Mc Carthy, thrown by Brentwood socialites Jann Berman and Mary Ann Weisberg in the stunning garden of the latter. Almost as visually beautiful were the waiters, so of course I had to know who was catering.
Turns out it was Amici, whose Brentwood branch I had reviewed on my show about a year ago. Friendship being the theme of this writing, I figured I’d be friendly and segue right over to Amici Beverly Hills, since it means friendship in Italian.
And, to that end, I scooped up two of my friends, the lovely actress and theater PR person, Patty Onagan, and the studly editor and content manager, Lou Coronado, and headed there this past Thursday night. (Straight from Jury Duty, I might add!)
Speaking of friendly, we couldn’t ask for better from the adorable and talented chef Enrico Trova.
He spent so much time with us that I don’t know how our food got made! He and Tancredi Deluca became friends in their younger days on the LA restaurant scene and opened Amici 12 years ago. And are still together through it all! I’m always impressed by long associations, since everyone’s so difficult nowadays. Or is that just me?!
Anyway, I digress.
Which I do regularly, so get used to it. (If you’re a regular Karen’s Restaurant Revue viewer, you’re already shocked that I’ve stuck to one topic this long!)
Though the garden area is very pretty, I try not to dine outside ever because of the possibility of smoke.
We were just as happy indoors, which was pretty enough, but could have totally benefited from blow-ups of my head shots on the white walls. Just a suggestion . . .
Here are the food highlights: for starters, they serve an incredible cannellini bean spread with the tomato mixture for the bread, on every table.
One can fill up on it, if not careful. We all loved the Grilled Hawaiian Prawns, which came with the eyeballs, etc., but after the presentation, you can ask for them to take the shrimp back in the kitchen and remove the “bodies.”
The grilled veal chop was gorgeous and popular with us, too, and Lou was very pleased with his salmon. I’m always antsy until I get to dessert, and enjoyed what they call their flourless chocolate cake, which was actually more like a mousse.
My guests were more into the torta della nonna, which you have to ask the waiter to explain. I hear Amici is very popular with the lunch crowd, so I hope to join them there very soon.
Amici at the Beverly Terrace Hotel 469 N. Doheny Dr. 310-858-0271
Amici Brentwood 2538 San Vicente Blvd. 310-260-4900
I go to art gallery receptions quite often and you never know what to expect in the refreshment department. More often than not, you’re lucky if you get a grape! Not the case at the Dawson Cole Fine Art on Saturday night.
The occasion was Richard MacDonald’s 60th birthday and retrospective exhibition. It was catered by Mark’s Restaurant, which has been holding strong on La Cienega for about 18 years now. The food was delicious, presentation fabulous, and waiters adorable.
What more can a female restaurant critic ask for?! The event was packed and the art excellent. But the grilled shrimp and waiter Dustin Schuetter were the winners.
Dawson Cole Fine Art 313 N. Beverly Drive
Mark’s Restaurant 861 N. La Cienega Blvd. 310-652-5252
And, lastly, Happy Birthday to my favorite Beverly Hills doctor, Harvey Paley. He’s been my ENT since I moved here as a teenager (over a year ago) and has saved me on more than one occasion. Hope his birthday is as special as he is!
Karen's Restaurant Revue next show airs on Adelphia Cable at 10PM on Thurs., June 8, channel 98.
 |
Karen making sure to give her thanks to the wait staff at the Dawson Cole reception.
photo by Lisa Freedman |
|
