Pastina

That's Pastina (a small local restaurant), not the more famous Patina (a restaurant group in LA), We loved it! I'd been wanting to find a good no frills Italian place nearby for awhile now, so today we went with my sister and her boyfriend.

A note on the service: incredible! If you are looking for a low key local spot where the owners hug their gray-haired regulars and career waiters view their jobs more as a craft than a stepping stone to a Hollywood career, this is your place. Not since Galatoire's in New Orleans have I felt this kind of vibe in a small, semi-casual establishment.

My sister's salmon farfalle was intensely salmony. Order it if you love the smell of fatty slabs of salmon!

J's linguine and clams was the only dish that could even come close to being called light. They are not skimping on the cream and butter here. The pastas came relatively lightly sauced, but the sauce that was used was rich and full. I actually prefer less of a fantastic sauce than a ton of "low fat" or otherwise dumbed down sauce.

My shrimp and cognac spaghetti in a pink sauce was possibly the table favorite. The cognac gave the dish a pleasantly sweet fragrance and aftertaste, and the shrimp were fine and crunchy if not amazing. This went amazingly well with the sangiovese that our waiter highly recommended, which surprised everyone.

M had the seafood risotto, a special for tonight. Nicely done--a good introduction to risotto for him.

We shared the tiramisu for dessert. It was tangier than I'm used to (citrus? Tangy mascarpone?) and very airy. I think I like the school of mascarpone that's slightly denser with just a little more ladyfingers, and a dash more booze. All in all, an incredibly good meal for under $20 each.

I also visited CDM today to see the hotel's ballroom set up for a wedding. Coincidentally, the bride also used pink. The room looked lovely, but after seeing her arrangements I've made up my mind about a few things. First, I definitely want darker pink/fuschsia flowers. When every table is covered in white from top to floor, the room needs some colors to keep it from looking monochromatic. Second, I want an arrangement that's more structured than this. Some people appreciate the loose garden-like look--it just depends on personality. I want tighter construction because it looks more modern to me. I'm also leaning towards no scattered petals.

I was happy to see that the room looked gorgeous even though this bride was very conservative with decorations and flowers. Makes my life easier! I was also happy to see that CDM's linens, glasses, plates, and silverware were all a notch above normal hotel fare. An excellent scouting mission!