Culver City Beat

Brunello Trattoria is located near the Helms District in Culver City on a corner off of Washington. My first trip there was unsuccessful because they recently started closing on Mondays, but I went again the next day, determined to have Italian food.

The restaurant was about half full when I arrived with the day-job crowd, judging by the business casual attire almost everyone was wearing.  I snagged a quiet table by the window and the waiter promptly gave me the day's specials.  I was in the mood for pasta so the waiter recommended the linguine in tomato sauce with mussels and clam ($13) which sounded perfect to me.

While waiting for the pasta to arrive, I snacked on some bread which was brought to the table.  The bread was still warm and delicious from the oven.  It's like the bread at Angeli Caffe on Melrose.  I had to force myself to stop eating so that I had room for pasta.

When the pasta came, I was at first surprised at the portion. Maybe I've been watching too many Olive Garden commercials, but I was expecting a much larger portion.  After a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and parmesan cheese, I dug in and was extremely pleased.  The clams and mussels were ordinary, but the sauce was delicious.  The tomatoes were savory, perfectly salted, cooked well, and coated the pasta with their juices superbly. The pasta, even though it was dried was cooked to an ideal texture.

It may not sound like much, but the dish tasted like a delicious home-cooked pasta dish prepared with love.  I didn't even mind that it wasn't a gigantic over-the-top portion after a few bites.  The sauce was just that good.

I haven't tried an of the other dishes at Brunello Trattoria yet, but if they're anything like this pasta, I'm not going to be disappointed.

Brunello Trattoria
6001 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 280-3856
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