VILLA BLANCA ~ 7~
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 20:55
My VERY pregnant friend and I went to lunch at Villa Blanca, the new Italian spot that replaced Trilussa. Between you and me, I can say with the utmost sincerity, the LAST thing Beverly Hills needed was ANOTHER mediocre Italian eatery. Honestly, what is the deal? Why are there SO MANY? Can we get a little Thai or Indian up in here? I am well aware that a slew of diners exist who will disagree with me, but I’ll take Via Veneto in Santa Monica any day. So, if you have a glimmer of insight into the Italian food obsession in BH, let me know! Moving on …
The atmosphere at Villa Blanca is whimsical, romantic, and white on white, which feels fresh and glamorous. There’s a lovely patio on the sidewalk but the inside seating is equally inviting. You might think you’ve stepped into someones romantic wedding reception for a moment. The menu (thank god) offers some items not seen elsewhere in BH, such as a variety of Italian inspired sandwiches and flat breads as well as some unique appetizers. (More details after next visit.)
Since it was lunch, we both opted for salads which I enjoyed more than my usual greens at La Scala, Il Pastaio, or Via Alloro. Both were very fresh with lots of “the good stuff” meaning chicken, cheese, olives etc. This is hard to find in Beverly Hills where salads are usually quite lettuce heavy despite the $18.00 price tag. I tried the Greek salad with shrimp and Erica had the chicken chopped. At Villa Blanca I felt the food at least stood up to the price.
Our waiter was fabulous! He really made our afternoon sweet and enjoyable. I forgot his name, but remember his accent! We decided to indulge in cappuccino and dessert so I would have more blog fodder and my friend could satiate her mommy-to-be cravings.
The coffee was delish! The molten lava chocolate cake … YUMMYLISCIOUS! I’m normally not one to rave about a dessert unless it really deserves my glowing review and I’ve had plenty of average molten chocolate lava cakes. This one rates a super 9! I took one point off as the cake around the edges was a tiny bit dry. The rest, superb and worth every calorie. I’ll be returning to Villa Blanca soon for a dinner review!
THE QUICK DISH
This newbie Italian restaurant is worth a try if you’re sick of all the others and want better quality for your cash. The food is good, the atmosphere great, and the service 5 star!
RESTROOM REPORT
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By foodflirt90210 (see more of her posts). You can find more of foodflirt90210's writing at her own website foodflirt90210
Jonah says:
June 24th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Welcome back FoodFlirt! I like the restroom angle, I agree, they can be indicative of the overall care that the owners put into the restaurant.
Actors Diet says:
June 24th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Woah - that’s quite a restroom.
MaxMillion says:
June 24th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
You frequently mention prices but don’t say what they are. How expensive was lunch?
foodflirt90210 says:
June 24th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Sorry to leave out exact prices … I was hoping to get them on their website which was still under construction when I wrote this. I plan to add more details soon! apps $7-$14 salads $10-$18 sandwich $12-$16
mains $14-$28 … not too bad for Beverly Hills! :)
pluto says:
June 24th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
what beautiful girls :)
Viable says:
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:02 am
This is twice now I’ve seen a blogger on this site completely clueless about something related to restaurants/food. I know LA Foodblogger makes it very clear its writers are food amateurs, but the site has some clout in the food blogging arena in the city and I think the writers here need to behave as professionals — that means checking into things, acting like professionals, fact check, etc.. There is a GREAT Indian restaurant in Beverly Hills, not downtown but very close. As far as thai goes, there are some great restaurants in the city as well. But you again have to think as a voice in the industry that these concepts may not be in the area because they are not typically upscale fare, too niche, etc. People don’t make businesses that won’t do well. This review is fun but the lack of knowledge of dining in the area is disappointing.
FOODFLIRT90210 says:
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Dear Viable,
I am aware that there are ethnic restaurants in the Beverly Hills “greater area” but in this review I am referring the heart of Beverly Hills. My apologies for not specifying. My plea for someone to explain why there are so many Italian spots was not to be taken overly seriously. And Beverly Hills loves it when people open super niche businesses and over price the product … just look at Sprinkles!
Viable says:
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:57 am
@Foodflirt, Well, Sprinkles cupcakes are of similar price to other cupcake offerings in the city, including Joan’s on Third, which is no where near the Rodeo area of Beverly Hills.
Eating in this area of Beverly Hills is focused on the lunch time crowd and there is a mexican restaurant, several sushi places, a Thai restaurant, etc. I eat in the area frequently. I think it’s worth noting this if you’re going to review in the area is all.