taste: hostaria piave in redondo beach, ca

hi everyone!

happy sunday, i hope you're enjoying your weekend.

for those of you that follow me on twitter you know that this past week i had my first trip of the year to sunny southern california.  and let me just say it was sweet...while it was frigid back here on the east coast (sorry friends) i had a chance to catch some warm rays of sunshine and enjoy some good eats with some great friends/colleagues. (in between all of my meetings & such of course).

on my last night in LA i had a chance to enjoy a spectacular meal with a great friend & colleague of mine.  we went to this wonderful new italian restaurant called hostaria piave.  they've been open just over a year and if you were headed down PCH you might just drive by....and by doing so you'd be making the mistake i did many times since they opened.

it's a romantic little spot, tucked away on PCH near torrance blvd.  you enter through a glass door into a small outdoor dining area with 6~8 tables.  to your right is another glass door to enter the main dining room of the restaurant.  there is a small bar in the back with a few chairs and about 12 tables with a small candle and beautiful table settings.  the dining room is very open and lofty, filled with the soft chatter of guests being soaked up into the gentle glow of candle light.

we had a small table in the front corner of the restaurant.  we were immediately greeted by a very friendly wait staff with warm fresh bread & butter and the owner even stopped by to say hello.  let me tell you folks, you will not be disappointed in there service at this place...i was blown away.

we ordered a nice light italian beer called moretti and began to peruse their wonderful menu.  the menu is very seasonal with many wonderful choices...and changes frequently..you won't get bored.  we decided to grab a couple appetizers to start; octopus carpaccio, wild mushrooms & polenta, and the braised venison.

the octopus came out first.  thin slices of octopus, with little crunchy bits of celery, and hint of citrus and some sea salt.  this was a light fresh uplifting dish that was a great start to a great meal.  next came the wild mushrooms & polenta.  delicious mushrooms on top warm soft polenta.  a wonderful warm comforting dish. great for a cool winter evening in LA.  last came the braised venison.  this was my favorite appetizer of the evening.  thin tender slices of venison with juniper.  mind blowing, i highly recommend it if you get the chance.

after the appetizers we decided to order a half bottle of wine.  their bottle list was extremely extensive, many choices, some expensive.  at the recommendation of our wonderful server we ordered a really nice full flavored califoria cab.  we then ordered an entree to share.  gnocchi with braised duck leg & marjoram.  soft warm gnocchi covered in tasty little bites of duck leg.  how can you go wrong with that?

we finished up dinner (which was very reasonable...~$100) and headed outside to a table to finish off our wine.  as we sat outside our server had sent out some golden raisins soaked it a nice italian digestive as a nice end to a great meal.

if you're ever in the south bay i highly recommend giving this place a try.  check them out at www.hostariapiave.com

angelo thank you for a spectacular and memorable dining experience.  you can be sure both my friend and i will be back!

happy travels where ever the road may take you....

stay tuned for the next viewfromtheair

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