RIP Angeli Caffe

Sadly, Evan Klieman's Angeli Caffe served its last loaf of delicious complimentary bread and handmade pasta on Thursday January 12th before permanently shuttering their doors. Per the article in the LATimes, the restaurant was simply not turning a profit any longer.

Victor and I went there for our anniversary in the fall. Since it was a special dinner, we went all out with entrees, wine and dessert. Our meal started off with Angeli Caffe's warm, melt in your mouth bread and the Scarmorza alla Griglia, perfectly broiled mozzarella balls with roasted tomatoes and oregano. For entrees, Victor selected the Lasagna Angeli while I opted for the Butternut Squash Lasagna. The Lasagna Angeli was a light and flavorful meatless lasagna in a tomato basil sauce. The Butternut Squash Lasagna was pasta layered with squash and Fontina cheese topped with a Bechamel (butter, flour, milk and pepper) sauce. Both dishes were made with handmade pasta and fresh and flavorful veggies. We topped off the night with some Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding served with freshly made whipped cream. Despite the fact that we were already stuffed from our entrees, the warm, gooey, chocolatey bread pudding wouldn't let go of its hold on us until the entire plate was empty. As we left with our bellies full, we vowed to come back soon. Sadly is not going to happen now...

If you have never had fresh handmade pasta, you really must treat yourself and seek some out. The taste and texture is far superior to that of store bought dried pasta...it also seems much lighter somehow. I am going to try to make fresh pasta in a few weeks...but in the meantime, I am open to hearing about people's favorite Italian restaurants since I am now on the hunt for a new one to try!