Michele StuevenChef-owner Lucio Bedon has opened Vicini Ristorante & Wine Bar in West LA this week, back in the same kitchen where he took his first chef position in Los Angeles in 1995.
The menu will celebrate familial roots from the Veneto region of Italy in a bright and airy dining room and bar, featuring crudos, cicchetti small bites, handmade pasta and platters of ribs served over polenta from the grill.
Risotto nero con sepia (Cara Harman)
Raised in Piove di Sacco near Venice where his father was a sardine fisherman and he and his mother gathered soft-shelled crabs, an homage to his parents will include cured fresh Mediterranean sardines according to his family recipe in bigoli in salsa with toasted bread crumbs.
There are crudo offerings like the capesante con agrumi, scallops with ruby grapefruit, kiwi, Meyer lemon and black salt, Fiore di Zucca, squash blossoms with herbed ricotta with cicchetti, and salads like the Cavolo Nero with chopped kale, shaved beets, ricotta salata, avocado, pistachio dust and green goddess dressing. Heartier dishes include risotto Nero con sepia ( squid ink risotto with grilled cuttlefish) and a prime bone-in ribeye with arugula and Parmesan.
Bedon was initially recruited from Michelin–starred Casa Bianca restaurant in Sardinia, Italy by Chef Gino Angelini to join him in Los Angeles at Louise’s Trattoria, the current location of Vicini Ristorante & Wine Bar. He also spent several years with Patina Restaurants.
A bold royal blue exterior gives way to the bright 18-seat bar and 65-seat dining room trimmed with hand-painted tiles and brushed gold fixtures and also has a private dining room that seats 25 for dinners and events. Vicini is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Vicini Ristorante & Wine Bar (Jakob Layman)
Inside Vicini Ristorante & Wine Bar (Jakob Layman)
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