Breaking Free: L.A. Wine Culture

Shattering the stereotypes

Comments (0) By Jonathan Gold Wednesday, Feb 6 2008

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Vertical Wine BistroProbably the swankest wine bar in Old Town Pasadena, this high-design joint juts from a hidden courtyard on Raymond's restaurant row, all subdued lighting and gleaming surfaces and hidden corners. You will never, never feel out of place in an LBD or a pinstriped Thom Browne suit here, or lack for well-heeled admirers. But Vertical is more ambitious than that: It aspires to be nothing less than the Pasadena equivalent of A.O.C., with zillions of wines available by the taste, the glass, the bottle and the flight — three side-by-side Williams Selyem pinot noirs, for example, or New Zealand sauvignon blancs, or Argentine malbecs. Sara Levine, who opened the foodie-beloved Opus, is the chef here, and beyond the wine, Vertical is a showcase of artisanal cheeses and cured meats, Serrano-ham-wrapped fig poppers and meaty, grape-friendly small dishes like pulled pork with prunes and polenta, and duck confit with chestnuts. If you would rather look into the depths of a Barolo-braised brisket than into the eyes of an attractive stranger, at Vertical it can always be arranged. 70 N. Raymond Ave., upstairs, Pasadena, (626) 795-3999 or www.verticalwinebistro.com. Sun. 4-11 p.m., Tues.-Thurs. 5-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Beer, wine. Valet parking. AE, MC, V.

VincentiValentino may be grander than Vincenti, La Terza flashier and Giorgio Baldi may draw a more famous clientele, but Vincenti is a showcase of Italian wine and the spiritual center of fine Italian cooking in Los Angeles, its hearth. And befitting a hearth, much of Nicola Mastronardi's food comes from the big, hardwood-burning ovens, flavored with the presence of smoke, of forests, stone chimneys and chilly afternoons — a scallop, say, sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked in its shell until it sizzles; a magnificent veal chop; soft curls of cuttlefish tucked into an herb salad; a whole, truffle-laced squab. The adjacent rotisserie turns out the best restaurant version of porchetta I have ever tasted in California — loin and belly are wrapped into a spiral, seasoned with fennel and spit-roasted to a crackling, licorice-y succulence. It is certainly possible to eat several mediocre Italian meals elsewhere in this neighborhood for the price of a single superb one here. At these times, it is good to remember that on Monday nights, pizza also comes out of these ovens. 11930 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (310) 207-0127. Mon.-Sat. 6-10 p.m., Friday for lunch noon-2 p.m. Full bar. Valet parking. AE, MC, V. Italian.

Anne Fishbein

Bastide’s wine auteur, Pieter Verheyde

Anne Fishbein

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Vinum Populi Adjacent to Ugo, Vinum Populi is a wine bar with training wheels, a place where you can try Chateauneuf de Pape or Puligny Montrachet without fear of mispronouncing the long foreign words, have a bit of lardo on bread if you dare, a pizza if you don't. Instead of ordering wine from a waitress or bartender, you recharge the kind of debit card you may remember from the laundry room in your college dorm, you thrust it into a machine, and you wait for a single ounce of the fluid to be dispensed into your glass. It is a good way to try high-end wines like Gaja Brunello that you would never get to taste otherwise, and a bad way to tie your drink on. An ounce of wine isn't a lot, and by the end of the night you will probably resemble the others, jabbing at the buttons like a chicken jabbing at the lever of a lab machine, waiting for that kernel of corn. 3865 Cardiff Ave., Culver City, (310) 204-5645. Sun.-Thurs. 5:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Fri.-Sat. 5:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Parking in nearby city structure. Major CC. Wine bar.

Violet A pleasant, mainstream bistro, Violet has all the appropriate buzzwords on its menu: the harissa aioli, the braised veal cheeks, the rare ahi tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes, but it is also possible to drop in after a show at McCabe's up the block for a caesar salad, a decent pepper steak, or a dish of very nice macaroni and cheese made with Gruyere, slivered leeks and chunked-up Serrano ham; or to stop by at lunchtime for a cheeseburger or a sandwich of that same Spanish ham turbocharged with sliced manchego cheese and breathtaking amounts of fresh garlic. Violet is a little restaurant that cares. 3221 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 453-9113 or www.violetrestaurant.com. Lunch Tues.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., dinner Tues.-Fri. 6-10 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 5:30-10 p.m. Beer and wine. Valet parking. AE, MC, V. Dinner for two, food only, $44-$66. California cuisine.

WilshireWilshire is an odd place, a handsome patio restaurant that seems unable to decide whether it is a farm-driven restaurant or a roaring bar and grill; a salute to the seasons, a paparazzi's stalking ground, or a celebration of the organic wine and food that can be purchased with an American Express card. Christopher Blobaum, who has run more high-end hotel kitchens than anybody else this side of Escoffier, seems to be running his dream restaurant, and he obviously spends some of his happiest hours at the Santa Monica farmers market. At Wilshire, there will always be jewel-like baby Nantes carrots the week that baby Nantes carrots hit the best farm stands; sweet satsuma tangerines in the duck confit salad at the time satsumas are at their peak; tiny purple artichokes when tiny purple artichokes are the thing — the stuff that defines Southern California as a great agricultural region, with a comprehensive wine list to match. Wine director Matthew Straus has a thing for chunky, rustic reds that go well with Wilshire's deceptively simple cooking. 2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 586-1707. Lunch Mon.-Fri. noon-2 p.m.; dinner Mon.-Wed. 6-10 p.m., Thurs.-Sat. 6-10:45 p.m. Full bar. Valet parking. AE, MC, V. California Seasonal.