Osteria La Buca has finally opened its expanded dining area after years of cramming as many diners as they could into their tiny restaurant. I spent many nights frustrated, craving mamma’s homemade pasta, trying to get a table at the last minute. Well the restaurant now has additional seating, a decent sized bar area and it’s still tough to get a table. This time we made a reservation several days in advance to avoid any long waits. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to help us any. We made our reservation for 8pm. And finally, after waiting for 45 min, we were seated. The host was very nice and apologetic about the wait, even bought us each a glass of wine.
We brought our own bottle of wine but I was a little astounded at the $18 corkage fee. (Which they waived due to our wait.) It must be against some Italian law to run out of wine glasses. But there we were, with our bottle of wine and no clean glasses behind the bar. Gasp!
The bar at La Buca
At this point we were irritable and about ready to eat our own appendages but we opted to start on some fried calamari instead. It wasn’t as good as I remember it. The calamari was quite small and the tentacle pieces, that are usually large and juicy, were small and over fried. Calamari legs broken apart, were scattered at the bottom of the plate.
The pasta arrived finally and I knew that it wouldn’t disappoint. We ordered the traditional Tagliatelle Bolognese, a plate of meat sauce with veal, pork and sausage served over homemade tagliatelle noodles. It was homey and comforting. The Linguine Carbonara, was a wonderful combination of bacon, parmesan cheese and egg served over linguine. My favorite of the night was the Pappardelle Fumé. An amazing pasta dish with a pink sauce, oregano, onions, bacon and Scamorza cheese. Each distinct flavor danced in our mouths with every bite.
We didn’t order any that night, but their pizza is also delicious. I highly recommend that as just an appetizer before your pasta. The pasta servings are the perfect size. You don’t feel like you ate too much even if you cleaned your plate. Prices are right at around $15 for pasta and pizzas.
I will return, despite the long wait and the less than friendly waiter. Mamma’s pastas and pizzas are simply amazing. But with the corkage being higher than any pasta plate on the menu I would recommend you just order from their wine list.
Osteria La Buca (menu)
5210 1/2 Melrose ave.
Hollywood, CA 90038
323.462.1900
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