{"id":693,"date":"2015-05-12T15:20:08","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T15:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/perfectmealtoday.com\/?p=693"},"modified":"2015-10-27T17:31:59","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T17:31:59","slug":"bite-of-the-beast-at-locanda-del-lago-in-santa-monica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/perfectmealtoday.com\/?p=693","title":{"rendered":"BITE OF THE BEAST AT LOCANDA DEL LAGO in SANTA MONICA"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"tn-3\"<\/a>\"tn-10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Hepworth<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BITE OF THE BEAST AT LOCANDA DEL LAGO in SANTA MONICA<\/p>\n

POPULAR ITALIAN EATERIE REMAINS A PARTY PLACE<\/p>\n

Santa Monica,CA(Perfect Meal Today)5\/12\/15\/–This Italian restaurant in Santa Monica at the Third Street Mall is a success story with\u00a0a loyal group of regulars who come to enjoy the food of chef Gianfranco Muniz. Every last Thursday\u00a0of the month, they put together a special menu for about $55 or $83 with a full complement\u00a0of wine pairings, so I happily attended Bite of the Beast featuring lamb last week, or more specifically NimanRanch Lamb.<\/p>\n

\"Niman<\/a>
Niman Ranch Lamb.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First up was the Antipasto of Lamb Sausage in a crusty pastry w\/Fave Bean Puree and\u00a0Garlic bread. Wine served with this excellent start to the feast was Arneis, Ceretto \u201cBlange\u201d\u00a0which had the lively bunch of attendees buzzing pretty quickly. Unfortunately the second course of\u00a0Durham Wheat Pappardelle w\/Lamb Shoulder Ragu was not one of the chef\u2019s greatest\u00a0Hits, suffering from a lack of seasoning and left me with a feeling of \u201cit had been sitting\u00a0around a bit too long.\u201d This was accompanied by a Chateau St.Jean 2012 Chardonnay, a\u00a0safe and predictable wine for the course.<\/p>\n

\"Risotto\"<\/a>
Risotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next up the chef came up with Risotto w\/lamb and snap peas served with a Prendina\u00a02013 Merlot. Risotto is one of the hardest things to get right in a kitchen, and this\u00a0particular version was thick and chunky but with a fair amount of seasoning on hand.<\/p>\n

All of the ingredients are sourced locally at the Farmers Market: fava beans and lamb\u00a0Quarter greens from Tutti Frutti, snap peas from Carpenter, pistachios from Santa\u00a0Monica Pistachio Company and raspberries from Harry\u2019s Berries.<\/p>\n

\"Lamb<\/a>
Lamb Roast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next up the chef brought out the leg of lamb and sliced generous looking portions\u00a0that were served with a red vinegar reduction. Since this is such a savory food, it was\u00a0accompanied by Saut\u00e9ed Lamb Quarter Greens and came with a nice and potent\u00a0Buehler 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
Frozen Pistachio Zabaglioni and Raspberries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dessert rounded out the meal with a Frozen Pistachio Zabaglioni and Raspberries\u00a0Served with a Premium Brachetto d\u2019Asti, 2012 Tor dell \u2018Elmo.<\/p>\n

For their regular menu, this Northern Italian style restaurant features classic Italian\u00a0food from the Lake Como region, and since they have been around 24 years in a very\u00a0competitive market they remain a staple in the Santa Monica market.<\/p>\n

Upcoming dinners will feature Halibut next time around, with Rabbit the following month.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LOCANDA DEL LAGO<\/p>\n

231 Arizona Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401<\/p>\n

310-451-3525<\/p>\n

Mall and Street Parking<\/p>\n

Open: 10.30 am-10.00 pm<\/p>\n

www.locandadellago.com<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"tn-10\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Hepworth<\/p>\n

287 S.Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211<\/p>\n

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  Michael Hepworth     BITE OF THE BEAST AT LOCANDA DEL LAGO in SANTA MONICA POPULAR ITALIAN EATERIE REMAINS A PARTY PLACE Santa Monica,CA(Perfect Meal Today)5\/12\/15\/–This Italian restaurant in Santa Monica at the Third Street Mall is a success story with\u00a0a loyal group of regulars who come to enjoy the food of chef Gianfranco […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-perfect-meal-today","tag-ite-of-the-beast-at-locanda-del-lago-in-santa-monica-popular-italian-eaterie-remains-a-party-place","eq-blocks"],"yoast_head":"\nBITE OF THE BEAST AT LOCANDA DEL LAGO in SANTA MONICA - Perfect Meal Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/perfectmealtoday.com\/?p=693\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BITE OF THE BEAST AT LOCANDA DEL LAGO in SANTA MONICA - 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