LOCANDA DEL LAGO SPOTLIGHTS
CUISINE OF NORTHERN ITALY'S LAKE COMO

When Locanda del Lago opened in April 1991, the Santa Monica restaurant quickly established a reputation as having perhaps the only menu in Los Angeles to focus on the cuisine of Lake Como in Northern Italy.  Today, celebrating its 17th anniversary, Lago maintains that unique identity.  Featuring specialties from Bellagio, the restaurant has continued to attract an eclectic crowd of celebrities, locals and travelers by offering exceptional food and service. 

Lago's comfortable, warm atmosphere evokes the charm of an Italian locanda (inn or trattoria) del lago (of the lake).  Its popular sidewalk patio fronts the restaurant’s exterior, providing a lively view of the passing Promenade scene.  An always-changing array of menu choices is offered, including an Antipasto Bar at lunch with 12 rotating items.  A nightly "Tasting Menu" varies weekly with choices based upon the availability of the best seasonal ingredients.  Guests at Lago enjoy a true "Lake Como experience" featuring dishes, particularly on the dinner menu, not often found at Italian restaurants in this country.

"Our menus are rooted in the authentic, quality cuisine of Lombardy and evolve from it to create a balanced selection of dishes that take full advantage of the best flavors of the season, the best specialties of Lake Como and the availability in Los Angeles of spices, fruits and vegetables not grown in Italy," says Co-Owner West Hooker. 

Plaudits from the press include this comment from one critic:  "Lago is a warm and welcome respite.  As exotic as it is delicious, the food is among the city's very best."  Another described Lago as "Casually classy... the authenticity of the place is clearly one of its assets."  The Los Angeles Times insists that the Antipasto Bar "… is one of our favorites," and the Hollywood Reporter refers to Lago as a "chic, authentic Italian bistro."  Metromix raves, "With the warmth of an old Italian inn and the cool factor of a Santa Monica hot spot, you'll never even know you're on the Third Street Promenade.  Lago has a loyal base of regulars because the customers are treated like kings, and the bustling restaurant is run with astounding ease."  Frommer's promises, "There’s no better place to people-watch than at the outdoor patio," and Gourmet Magazine advises, "Italy meets the Pacific -- authentic cuisine of Milano, Como and Stresa served up in the most California of settings.  Don't miss the Ossobuco alla Milanese."

Co-owner West Hooker and Executive Chef Davide Vedovelli, who were both born in Milan and have lived and worked in Bellagio, preside over the popular restaurant with General Manager Megan Sheehy, who has been with Lago since 1996. 

Chef Vedovelli joined Lago in 2003 with impressive credentials as sous chef at Savini, one of Milan's top restaurants, and chef at Cestino, another top Milan restaurant whose reputation for authentic Milanese cuisine was built by Vedovelli.  He arrived at Lago from Italy after two years as chef at Bellagio's Trattoria San Giacomo, which was named "best trattoria" in a Los Angeles Times feature story on Italy's Lake Region.  Also a bread-making, pastry and pasta artisan, Vedovelli owned a store called Pasta Fresca, which sold fresh, hand-made pasta to the public and the restaurant trade for nine years.  He was also a chef at Regina Palace, a five-star hotel in Stresa, at Restaurant Rozal, a high-end Hungarian restaurant in Milan, and at Mario in London, among others.  Vedovelli was born into a family of restaurateurs who owned an establishment in the Emilia region that was 160 years old.  He began his career at age 14 at a cooking school in Milan and apprenticed at the five-star Leonardo da Vinci Hotel as well as the five-star hotel La Tour de Super Crans in Switzerland.

Among Lago's current menu highlights are:

PIZZOCCHERI ALLA VALTELLINESE (house-made whole wheat pappardelle tossed with Savoy cabbage, Yukon potatoes and bitto cheese);

RISOTTO DI ZUCCA E CAPESANTE (butternut squash risotto with seared scallops and balsamic glaze);

TROTA ALLA COMASCA (from Lake Como: fillets of rainbow trout marinated in lemon, caper, and parsley, grilled and served with sautéed zucchini and potato-leek “au gratin”);

OSSOBUCO ALLA MILANESE (veal shank slow-cooked in white wine and vegetables, topped with traditional gremolata, served with saffron risotto - Milanese style).

Some "Tasting Menu" selections available at various times are dishes representative of the Lake Como area, such as TAGLIATELLE LAGO (house-made tagliolini tossed with pink trout and escarole in a thyme-infused white wine sauce), or typical Lombardy selections, such as SALAME E FICHI (salami Milano with black figs served with Cremona candied fruit and chilled parsley pesto) and BOLLITO MISTO (mixed meats and steamed vegetables), or dishes found in Milan, such as TAGLIATA DI CERVO CON UVETTA, PINOLI E GRAPPA (pan-roasted venison loin served sliced over a potato gallette topped with raisin-pinenut grappa reduction) and PETTO D’ANATRA AL SALE CON INSALATINA DELL’ORTO (duck breast encrusted in rock sea salt, baked and dressed tableside).

The menu also includes special soups, distinctive salad and antipasti selections, both classic and unusual pasta and risotto dishes, designer pizzas, exceptional meat, fowl and fish selections, and tempting desserts including Lago's signature tiramisú.

Lago's wine list features choices from California and Italy, and there is also a range of superior Italian wines selected because of their remarkable qualities and the outstanding reputation of their producers.  Lago has received Wine Spectator magazine’s “Award of Excellence” every year since 1995, and Luigi Veronelli's The Best Italian Restaurants applauded its "vast and intelligent selection." 

A broad menu of after-dinner drinks is available, including Lago's authentic Italian GROLLA, made of espresso, grappa, brandy, sambuca, lemon peel and sugar.  After being flamed tableside, this concoction is shared by friends from a hand-carved wooden bowl imported from Italy with one drinking spout for each person.  According to Italian custom, as the “friendship cup” is passed from person to person, each relationship it touches grows stronger.

The charm of Lago's ambiance complements its fine cuisine and spirits.  Shades of amber, burgundy, saffron and green contrast with vivid white tablecloths, and the walls are decorated with brightly colored china, paintings and artifacts depicting scenes of Bellagio. The dining area is surrounded almost completely by tall windows and is always beautifully lit, daytime or evening. 

Lago's services are available for private parties inside the restaurant or off-premises catering.  The restaurant is open daily for lunch, Saturday/Sunday brunch, and dinner.  A "Happy Hour" is featured from 4 to 7 p.m. Sundays through Fridays with specially priced tapas-style menu and drinks. 

Valet parking is provided from 6 p.m. nightly; ample Santa Monica city structure parking is available at all times.  Reservations are suggested.  All major credit cards are accepted.  Lago opens daily at 11:30 AM and is located at 231 Arizona Avenue on the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica.  For reservations, call (310) 451-3525.  www.LagoSantaMonica.com

#   #   #
3/20/08
.

Click HERE for info on a new cookbook featuring a recipe from Chef Davide!

Click HERE to see more photos from our "Taste of Santa Monica" booth!
!

 
Locanda del Lago is located in Santa Monica, California, on the northwest corner of Arizona Avenue and the Third Street Promenade, two blocks east of Ocean Avenue, one block south of Wilshire Blvd., four blocks west of Lincoln Blvd. and one block north of Santa Monica Blvd.

Exit from the Santa Monica (10) Freeway at 4th Street, turn right onto Lincoln, turn left at Arizona.

Valet parking is available for dinner seven days a week.  Convenient parking in Santa Monica city parking structures is available at all times.  Structure entrances are located on Second Street and Fourth Street south of Wilshire Blvd.

Click HERE to get directions from MapQuest!