Campanile

Dine LA week(s) just wrapped up in LA this past friday. While I usually try to hit at least 3-4 restaurants during the promotional period, I only managed to try the Dine LA Menu at Campanile this time around.

Campanile has been a longtime fixture in LA's dining scene. Opened in 1989 by Executive Chef Mark Peel, former Pastry Chef Nancy Silverton and former Wine Director Manfred Krankl, the kitchen at Campanile has had its share of LA chefs come through its doors over the years (Suzanne Goin, Ben Ford, Suzzane Tracht and Govind Armstrong).

Set in a faux-Tuscan style building that was initially built for Charlie Chaplin, Campanile has a rustic feel to it and a crowd that cares more about food than about fashion. With a distinctive bell tower that rises above the building (and gives the restaurant its name), Campanile is divided into three dining spaces- the airy front courtyard which boasts a small tuscan-style tiered bird bath, the middle dining area that has an american bistro feel to it and a view of the kitchen action, and the back room which is quieter, darker and therefore more romantic.

For my appetizer, I ordered the herbed goat cheese ravioli with pancetta, spinach, currants and pine nuts. The pasta of the ravioli was over-cooked and limp but the spinach, currant and pine nuts were a lovely combination with the tangy goat cheese. Oh! And let me not forget the walnut bread from the La Brea Bakery that is housed in the same building as the restaurant space. Earthy and nutty, I felt like the artisan bread reflected the authentic quality of the restaurant.

For my main course, I had the pan roasted tai-snapper with sauteed escarole and rosemary aiolli. My fish was cooked perfectly with a lovely seared crust on the skin side, each bite just melted in my mouth. The rosemary aiolli was not overpowering and provided the perfect sauce on the plate. Meanwhile, the crunchy and slightly bitter escarole was a great compliment, tying the whole dish together.

My friend order the duck dish (grilled duck breast with fennel, lemon-thyme potatoes and crisp leeks) for her main course and let me try a bite of her food. I have to be honest here and say that I was horridly let down by the duck. It was just... well... not ducky enough (for lack of a better term). My friend even commented that her duck almost tasted like pork and while I didn't quite taste pork, I definitely did not taste duck! The whole point of eating duck is for that gamey and rich duckiness! Needless to say, I'm glad I did not get the duck.

Since there were only 2 options on the dine LA menu for desserts, my friend and I did it right and each ordered one. We shared the chocolate pudding with whipped cream and chocolate chip cookies, and the apple cobbler with vanilla ice-cream. When the desserts arrived, I was underwhelmed not by the small portions (I was not complaining b.c I was already stuffed from the meal) but by the lack of anything special. The chocolate pudding was just okay and the chocolate chip cookies tasted like something I could make out of my oven. The apple cobbler was a notch better with fresh crispy apples.

Details:

Campanile

623 South La Brea Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90036

323 938 1447