After a long day of selling real estate, there is nowhere I’d rather be than Hostaria del Piccolo. Hostaria del Piccolo elegantly fuses together the essentials of the Santa Monica dining experience. As you enter the restaurant the smiling hosts and hostesses guide you to your seat with the top shelf service expected at a top Italian restaurant. The aromas of the beach mix with the aromas of Italy to drive your appetite into full gear, while the waiters recite the mouthwatering specials. If you love to dine as much as I do, then keep reading.
To receive the full Hostaria del Piccolo experience you have to start with some of their tantalizing appetizers. The Grigliate, grilled calamari with a spicy twist, will play into all of your seafood fantasies. Calamari can be one of the best components of any gourmet meal, but overcooking or undercooking it can destroy that potential. Luckily, the chefs at Hosteria del Piccolo know their stuff, making the Grigliate an obvious highlight. If you have someone to share your meal with, order the Ricottina. Unless you fly to Italy right now, it’s harder to find any ricotta more perfectly presented than here. Perfectly complemented by the mushrooms and vincotto, the Ricottina is a must-try.
You have to go here on a Monday, and that’s because of the Amatriciana. Every day the restaurant has a pasta special, and Monday takes home the trophy. The tender homemade Bucatini is topped with onions, red wine, tomato sauce, pecorino, and rounded out with unbeatable guanciale. This dish will make you question all other pastas before it, because it truly is that good. Also, it’s great to have something to look forward to at the beginning of a busy work week. Elsewhere in the pasta department you can choose from a whole array of other options, all the way from gnocchi to penne dishes. The pizzas are happily crowded with your favorite ingredients and toppings, and I highly recommend the Moderna, made with tomato sauce, arugula, roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. You really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu.
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Dining at Hostaria del Piccolo gives you an experience that will leave you satisfied for months, but I promise you won’t last that long before you feel the need to return to this food Wonderland. The ambience, service, and most of all the top-notch food, will make you smile every time you walk through its doors. See you at sixth and Broadway, I know I’m dining at my favorite restaurant in Santa Monica tonight: Hosteria del Piccolo.
