Osteria La Buca has taken Breast Cancer Awareness Month beyond the obligatory wearing of a pink ribbon. For the month of October, the restaurant has made a statement, not just cosmetically with a pink exterior, but also donating 100 percent of its earnings to Susan G. Komen For The Cure.
It’s kind of humbling then, that a group of us bloggers was invited for a media dinner recently, knowing that this hosted meal (we made sure to tip) was taking away from the restaurant and thus that good cause. After having tasted the food, however, I’m confident I’ll be back as a paying customer.
It should be noted that the end of the month will also mark a remodel of the entire restaurant. Over a three-day period, Osteria La Buca will be gutted and revamped. So, take the rest of October to take in the warm wood panels and chalkboard menu, in addition to this awesome giant photograph that appears to be a man gazing at a woman’s behind. That’s the way I read the picture anyway. Let me have my fantasies.
The first PINK item for the night is this far too drinkable (I had three!) Italian rose sangria — a combination of peach, raspberry (and I think grapefruit), it was accented with a hint of St. Germaine. Completely refreshing.
We scarfed down the tomatoes, burrata and prosciutto with a vengeance. What else ya got?
Adored the second PINK item, which was a thin and crispy flat bread piled with garlic-roasted kale (still vibrant and green-tasting), mushrooms, tomato and figs. Just a bit of goat cheese, drops of tomato sauce and maldon sea salt. I think I had two slices. Or was it three?
Asparagus with a fried duck egg and shaved parmesan. It’s pretty straightforward, and the yolk when broken and oozing onto everything was super ducky. I didn’t use caps there because othewise, you’d confuse it with that billed, web-footed crimefighter.
Final PINK menu item was a butternut squash risotto with sage and red chili. I didn’t taste much heat, and the squash was very squashy, which means it was a tad sweet for me, but overall a satisfying al dente risotto. Considering LA
This fusilli e lenticchie is a regular menu item that feature dupuis lentils, ovendried and cherry tomatoes, arugula and dried ricotta. It’s a curious dish, with the lentils adding a meatiness to the dish, especially since it’s drizzled with a pungent truffle oil.
I was really getting pretty full, but I had several helpings of this osso buco risotto, specifically made for our blogger group. Not only was the risotto perfectly cooked, but it also had a surprising bit of spice to it that made some of the other foods taste a bit bland in comparison. We were all confessing how much we like risotto but rarely order, mainly because of how heavy it is. More risotto appetizers!
I didn’t taste the tiramisu because of my weird coffee condition (oh wait, I haven’t explained that? Blog post coming soon!), but I did admire the fork body-outline. That fork died a happy fork, on tirumisu, before someone came along and dusted it at the crime scene.
Thanks so much to Dan Cox and H.C. of LA and OC Foodventures for setting up this meal. I also enjoyed stuffing my face along with the following new and familiar faces: Esi of Dishing Delights, Connie of Hey Hey Scenesters, Jennie of Jennio.net, Tommy of Gold Members, Andy of Wind Attack, Siel of GreenLA Girl, Ila of INomThings.com, Esther of E*starLA, Natassia of Let Me Eat Cake, Maya of Shop Eat Sleep and Lindsay of LAist.
Oh, and just because Osteria La Buca went pink, doesn’t mean that it’s not also green. Besides the tasty food and company, a frequent highlight of the evening was watching the delivery guy suit up, place food in the box and then zip away on the ZERO electric motorcycle from Hollywood Electrics. Apparently, they deliver within a 1.5 mile radius, which just happens to be close enough to my office. I foresee a starchy lunch and perhaps a nap in my future.
Osteria La Buca
5210 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323.462.1900
