Bestia is Italian for beast and it is here- at LA’s most talked about and packed restaurant since its opening last fall- where wonder chef Ori Menashe creates over 60 forms of the most amazing charcuterie in the city. A former executive chef at the coveted Angelini Osteria, Menashe- who was born in LA and raised in Israel- prepares purely authentic Italian dishes, a sort of new movement of anti-California cuisine- think hearty. He also raises his own yeast culture which he uses to bake Bestia’s sourdough Pain au Levain, resulting in salivating homemade pasta and pizza. Serious multi-regional Italian food is found inside a seriously cool space, where the vibe is raw industrial-chic thanks to the downtown Arts District location and urban loft building the restaurant is housed in.
A neighborhood place you could easily eat at everyday, Bestia is another home run for restauranteur Bill Chait- whose collection of foodie hot-spots include Sotto, Picca and Rivera. Considered LA’s version of the New York gastro-phenom Danny Meyer, Chait’s real talent is breathing new life into promising young chefs like Menashe. Wine steward Maxwell Leer selects obscure wines from boutique producers around the world, and although you may have never heard of them they pair deliciously with the divine food. As for dessert, Menashe’s talented pastry chef wife, Genevieve Gergis, cranks out her sweets from scratch, using ingredients such as acquarello rice- an Italian carnaroli rice aged 18 months- for her al dente rice pudding. I’m not quite sure what’s more appealing to me, the food or the decor, but there is one thing I do know for sure… LA is fast becoming the best contender to take on New York or San Francisco any day. www.bestiala.com
[…] year old warehouse is all abuzz with the latest offerings of sophisticated Italian fare. Close by, Bestia- LA’s it restaurant-of-the-moment- just may have some competition as The Factory Kitchen […]