Il Grano

09/27/09

Mixed bag

by bmattlin at Citysearch

Neither as good nor as bad as billed. Pleasant atmosphere, charming service. Chef-owner himself came out to discuss options w/ my 10-yr-old daughter, who wanted something off-menu. BUT waiter twice overlooked 1 in r party of 6 (not the same 1 each time); no butter or oil w/ bread; plates repeatedly put in front of wrong person; dishes were removed half-full, without asking! Portions v small--do order 3-5 courses. Ordinary pasta, fish bla. Best: tomatoes, desserts, esp choc gelato. Overall, definitely overpriced

• Pros: Charming...
• Cons: Inconsistent service, ordinary yet overpriced food

06/15/08

I had expected so much more

by poleypole at Citysearch

I had my family in town in from New York and I wanted to take them out to dinner to show them that LA could compete with New York when it came to fine Italian cuisine. I had researched various restaurants meticulously and it seemed that overall Il Grano was going to make a strong case for LA gourmet. Fresh organic produce, daily catch fish and an ever-changing menu are a staple of Il Grano. And while all of the food was most certainly fresh and imaginatively prepared, it was nothing to write home about. Both myself and my brother-in-law had the vegetarian 5-course tasting menu. It is prepared fresh daily specifically based around the likes/dislikes of each particular customer. I told them I was not fond of carrots. My main course, a rather uninspired plated of braised vegetables, featured what else - carrots! My girlfriend ordered one of the fish specials and it was bland and undercooked. Overall, the food was decent; but certainly not worthy of any praise. Had our meal not taken almost three hours - it was almost 1 1/2 hours before we received our first course - perhaps my overall opinion would have been better. But the service was slow and our waiter continuously tried to upsell us on more liquor in the 30 minute waits between courses. The night was sealed when the chef came out to ask us how our meal was. We explained to him how the service had been painfully slow and that had really brought the night as a whole down. Rather than apologize he returned to our table a few moments later with our bill to show us when our order was put in and justify why it had taken three hours for us to get our food. I was embarrassed for both myself and my family, but especially for him. To think that after paying well over $400 for dinner for 5 that I had to sit through the head chef offering excuses rather than apologies for a negative dining experience, that pretty much said it all. I would never eat at Il Grano again; nor would I suggest it to anyone else.

• Pros: Prompt seating, great wine list
• Cons: Mediocre food, poor service, ambience

03/22/08

One of the best Italian spots in LA

by FoodEEEEEE at Citysearch

Continuing our quest to find the best Italian restaurant in Los Angeles, my wife and I were thoroughly wowed by Il Grano this week. The menu is born of seasonal ingredients and is changed monthly. There is enough variety to satisfy most palates and the dishes are creatively executed. A five course tasting menu is available, as is a vegetarian tasting menu. Additionally, there is a sort of Italian Omakase, where you tell the chef how many courses you want and he gives you whatever inspires him that evening.

Let's get to our meal. For our antipasti, my wife had the artichoke salad and I had the famous crudo. Her dish was good, but mine would have put many of the best sushi restaurants in LA to shame. I paired this course with a nice glass of Sicilian Grillo.

Next we decided to split a pasta course, so we could each have room for a secondi. All except one of their pastas was fresh made on the premises. I forgot the name of the pasta we ordered, but it was almost like a slightly larger macaroni and was prepared with spiny lobster, pureed cauliflower and black truffle shavings. It was like a sort of cheeseless macaroni and cheese, yet it was SO much more. Very tasty. I paired it with a great California Chardonnay.

For our main course, I went with the braised short rib and my wife had the salt-baked branzino. Once again the fish was a standout here, and the branzino was some of the best I've had this side of the pond. My short rib was very good, but I wish he would have left the bone in. De-boning it can take away some of the flavor and leave it a little dry. I paired it with a great glass of Barolo.

We barely had any room left, but we felt that if the meal was this good, we needed to at least try some dessert. We weren't disappointed! They had two novel dessert pasta dishes; a ravioli and a lasagna. We went with the ricotta, roasted pink lady apple, walnut, and golden raisin filled ravioli. VERY tasty. They were a perfect cap to an amazing meal.

• Pros: Great Food, Super Fresh Fish, Freshly Made Pasta, & Wonderful Service
• Cons: Metered Parking Only