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I’ve been meaning to write up Angeli for quite some time, and I figure it’s only appropriate that I finally do after my Valentine’s dinner there, since this is more of a love letter than a review.

I’m going to disclose from the beginning that Angeli is my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, if not the world. I’ve been eating here ever since I moved to Los Angeles for the second time, in 2002, and it’s one of the few places I have returned to with regularity. Angeli has never let me down, and I have come to rely on the fact that when I go to eat there, I know I will leave happy.

I am such a fan that I am on their mailing list. And when I got an e-mail detailing Valentine’s day specials, I knew right away that this Valentine’s Day, I actually wanted to go on a date. Of course, I am a modern girl so I don’t wait around to be asked. Since I was the one who wanted to go to Angeli, I decided to take my husband out for Valentine’ Day, instead of the other way around.

I listen to Chef Evan Kleiman’s show “Good Food” on the radio weekly and so I couldn’t help but make a silent “SQUEE!” when I called for reservations and Ms. Kleiman herself took my name. I had to practically sit on my hands to restrain myself from saying, “Is this Evan?! OMGILOVEYOU! OMGOMG!!!11!!” But I acted my age and simply made the reservation.

But wait … enough of this boring introductory story. How is the FOOD?

Well, hold on because there is so much more than the food going on here. First things first. Because when you walk in the door, you are immediately greeted by one of the absolute best things about Angeli Caffe. His name is David and he has been working at Angeli for at least as long as I have been going there. At least it seems that way to me. I count on him as much as I count on the deliciousness of the pizza.

I imagine that David is something like a front of house manager, because he seems to do everything. He is very cute and he is friendly and funny and makes you feel like a regular every time you show up.

And yes, the food. This was a romantic Valentine’s dinner, so I did not return with pictures, to spoil the sexy mood. Ms. Evan offers rustic Italian food that takes into account the best local ingredients that are in season. The food is simple yet carefully crafted. She is also the governor of the local Slow Food chapter. Evan also takes groups to Italy on culinary tours sometimes, and if any billionaires are reading this and feeling generous, I’d love to go sometime. Just putting it out there.

For our Valentine’s dinner, we ordered mostly off the menu of seasonal specials. We started by sharing the antipasti plate of pecorino custard with arugula and pears,
rice croquettes with sweet sausage, and sugar snap peas with hazelnut vinaigrette ($14), and a salad of endive with blood orange, goat cheese, garlicky dressing and almonds ($12).

The antipasti was pretty much all delicious. The peas were crisp and refreshing, the arugula fresh and peppery and the croquettes warm and comforting. The only thing I wasn’t fond of was the pecorino custards. I took one bite and let my husband eat the rest, but I think that is a taste preference peculiar to me. I don’t like the taste of cooked milk (as in flan) and I think that’s what was going on here. The flavor was just too overwhelming for me.

The salad was gorgeous with the blood orange sections and was very good. It was crsipy and refreshing with little bursts of citrus flavor. I’m afraid I ate more than half of it, but I gave up my custard so I think that makes up for it.

For my main course I ordered their special seasonal pizza of braised greens, caramelized onions, garlic, and fontina ($13). I have a really hard time not ordering pizza when I come here. The pizza is just excellent. My favorite is the quattro stagione, since you get a variety of toppings, but I’ve never had a bad pizza here. And I like ordering this special pizza, because I feel somewhat healthier than I normally do when I eat pizza, due to all the greens.

I was thisclose to getting this special: roasted Portobello mushrooms filled with porcini, zucchini and sweet red bell peppers ($16), but gave in to the pizza temptation. I saw David eating the portobello dish for his dinner and it looked amazing. I had a tinge of regret, but I think it was for the best, since the starters left me too full to eat more than two pieces of pizza.

Somehow, though, when it came time for dessert, and our server told us about the triple chocolate tart with a “puddle” of chocolate caramel topped with cream and fresh raspberries, a little hole opened up somewhere in my stomach, ready to be filled with chocolate. We ordered the “puddle” (and gave the dessert a new name, as we heard the waitress bringing people “puddles” the rest of the time we were there). It was so good that it’s almost too hard to describe how good it was. The chocolate tart may have been too dry or too same-flavored on its own, but the chocolate-caramel “puddle” added moisture and another flavor dimension. It kind of tasted like the most delicious frosted brownie you have ever had. And of course the tart raspberry bites kept me going when I might have gotten tired of all the chocolate.

Once again, Angeli charmed me. In exchange for footing the bill, I got the best Valentine’s Day gift ever. A satisfying, joy-inspiring meal with someone I love in the restaurant I love run by people I love. That’s so many levels of *heart* that it’s only right that it happened on Valentine’s Day.

Angeli Caffe
7274 Melrose Avenue
323-936-9086
http://angelicaffe.com

By KT (see more of her posts). You can find more of KT's writing at her own website Gastronomy 101.