Made the reservation last week but all the was available on a Monday night was the counter at 8:45pm. I don’t mind counter service at all, and in fact it was cool as we got to see a lot of dishes getting prepped. My girlfriend and I meant to get pics of everything but honestly we were too excited. Here’s what we got:
Cocktails: My girlfriend got the restaurant’s take on a Paloma, which had a real citrusy zip that gave way to the smokiness of the mezcal. I got a white Negroni, which was not quite as bitter as the normal version, and a little more refreshing.
Our server was friendly and knew the menu well and told us to make sure we saved room for dessert. We ended up doing two antipasti, one pizza, one pasta, and two desserts. Would’ve done more but my girlfriend wanted to treat and I have a hard time indulging too much on anyone else’s dime. Food was-
Peruvian Scallop Crudo with citrus, rosemary chili oil, cured cucumber, gaeta olives, mint and sesame (pictured). Chef recommends taking this like a shooter to let all the flavors balance. The scallop is fresh and clean, the citrus notes are powerful on the front end but the olive helps balance it while leaving you with a lovely heat from the chili oil. I must say I *hate* olives but they actually make the dish. My first scallop was a little heavy on the citrus and the olive stuck to the shell so it was a bit of a citrus bomb, but the second one was well balanced and all the ingredients sung together beautifully. Could’ve sat and eaten twenty of them.
Roasted Bone Marrow with spinach gnocchetti, crispy breadcrumbs and aged balsamic. Man alive. The dish of the night and among the best things I’ve had in LA. The bone marrow is so smokey and salty and and rich and unctuous, and the beautiful gnocchetti gets perfectly coated by the server who scoops the marrow and mixes into the pasta table side. No notes. (We found out later that you can take a shot of sherry from the hollowed bone. It’s called a bone-luge. Next time I’ll do it.)
Margherita Pizza. Exactly what it sounds like. We were told to be sure to get a pizza and since they were out of one and two others had lamb (gf doesn’t like), we went with this simple classic, and it was perfect. The dough is so perfectly airy, crispy yet chewy, with just the right char underneath. Cheese, sauce and basil all in perfect proportion. Just a perfect pizza. Felt like a hug.
Squid ink chitarra with Dungeness crab, citrus, Calabrian chili, marscapone and basil (pictured). The next time I go back, I’ll probably opt for a different pasta but not because this wasn’t very good. The pasta is, of course, perfectly Al dente, the crab is lush and buttery. But the real star for me is the Calabrian chili, which is mixed in with the mascarpone to form this beautiful, creamy, spicy coating over the noodles. A little fresh basil for some brightness. Terrific.
Dessert- fromage blanc mousse with pecan graham crust and candied quince (pictured) and bar au chocolat bittersweet chocolate budino tarte, salted caramel, cacao crust with olive oil and sea salt. Mousse was advertised as a very light cheesecake which is dead on- almost halfway between a cheesecake and a ricotta? Airy, semi-sweet, with a perfect crust. The budino was a touch heavy on the olive oil but everything else was perfect, particularly the little chocolate, crispy buttery cookie that came on the side. Wish I had a whole bag of those cookies.
Service was a little on the slow side but I don’t blame them because the place was *packed*, with lines at the door well past 9:30pm (on a Monday night). All told, everything I’ve mentioned (plus a second white Negroni and a cup of coffee) came out to $220 before tip.
Next time I’ll get the scallops and the bone marrow again, with a new pizza and a new pasta. Not because the pizza and pasta weren’t great, but because they were great and I want to try some others on as well.
Overall, this place lived up to the hype more than probably any restaurant I’ve been to in LA.
[deleted]
I loved that scallop crudo. Pizza was really good too. Bestia itself was a little clubby for me, but that’s ok, I’m getting old
ElBigKahuna
Love Bestia, prefer it over Bavel for my taste. Both are really great though.
ListenToFrankWhite
Nice usage of “man alive”.
keyskeysonvannuys
1 bone marrow pasta per 2 guests is what I usually get, regardless of how good their other dishes are. This is how good the bone marrow pasta is.
Agariculture
I no go there for the bone marrow and beers. SOFAKING good!
nicearthur32
That bone marrow dish is my favorite food in all of Los Angeles. It’s so good.
Girl-UnSure
My boyfriend and I have a reservation for next Friday night and I am soooo excited to try the bone marrow. Ughhhh…..🤤 thanks for sharing your thoughts on the experience
getwhirleddotcom
I didn’t see your caption at first about the squid ink being partially eaten and i was like that’s a fucked up portion lol.
Royal_Cha
So what did yall get at taco bell afterward?
genomecop
I love this place but they don’t serve vegetables which is really strange
12 Comments
Was it worth it…
Went to Bestia last night for my 36th birthday.
Made the reservation last week but all the was available on a Monday night was the counter at 8:45pm. I don’t mind counter service at all, and in fact it was cool as we got to see a lot of dishes getting prepped. My girlfriend and I meant to get pics of everything but honestly we were too excited. Here’s what we got:
Cocktails: My girlfriend got the restaurant’s take on a Paloma, which had a real citrusy zip that gave way to the smokiness of the mezcal. I got a white Negroni, which was not quite as bitter as the normal version, and a little more refreshing.
Our server was friendly and knew the menu well and told us to make sure we saved room for dessert. We ended up doing two antipasti, one pizza, one pasta, and two desserts. Would’ve done more but my girlfriend wanted to treat and I have a hard time indulging too much on anyone else’s dime. Food was-
Peruvian Scallop Crudo with citrus, rosemary chili oil, cured cucumber, gaeta olives, mint and sesame (pictured). Chef recommends taking this like a shooter to let all the flavors balance. The scallop is fresh and clean, the citrus notes are powerful on the front end but the olive helps balance it while leaving you with a lovely heat from the chili oil. I must say I *hate* olives but they actually make the dish. My first scallop was a little heavy on the citrus and the olive stuck to the shell so it was a bit of a citrus bomb, but the second one was well balanced and all the ingredients sung together beautifully. Could’ve sat and eaten twenty of them.
Roasted Bone Marrow with spinach gnocchetti, crispy breadcrumbs and aged balsamic. Man alive. The dish of the night and among the best things I’ve had in LA. The bone marrow is so smokey and salty and and rich and unctuous, and the beautiful gnocchetti gets perfectly coated by the server who scoops the marrow and mixes into the pasta table side. No notes. (We found out later that you can take a shot of sherry from the hollowed bone. It’s called a bone-luge. Next time I’ll do it.)
Margherita Pizza. Exactly what it sounds like. We were told to be sure to get a pizza and since they were out of one and two others had lamb (gf doesn’t like), we went with this simple classic, and it was perfect. The dough is so perfectly airy, crispy yet chewy, with just the right char underneath. Cheese, sauce and basil all in perfect proportion. Just a perfect pizza. Felt like a hug.
Squid ink chitarra with Dungeness crab, citrus, Calabrian chili, marscapone and basil (pictured). The next time I go back, I’ll probably opt for a different pasta but not because this wasn’t very good. The pasta is, of course, perfectly Al dente, the crab is lush and buttery. But the real star for me is the Calabrian chili, which is mixed in with the mascarpone to form this beautiful, creamy, spicy coating over the noodles. A little fresh basil for some brightness. Terrific.
Dessert- fromage blanc mousse with pecan graham crust and candied quince (pictured) and bar au chocolat bittersweet chocolate budino tarte, salted caramel, cacao crust with olive oil and sea salt.
Mousse was advertised as a very light cheesecake which is dead on- almost halfway between a cheesecake and a ricotta? Airy, semi-sweet, with a perfect crust.
The budino was a touch heavy on the olive oil but everything else was perfect, particularly the little chocolate, crispy buttery cookie that came on the side. Wish I had a whole bag of those cookies.
Service was a little on the slow side but I don’t blame them because the place was *packed*, with lines at the door well past 9:30pm (on a Monday night). All told, everything I’ve mentioned (plus a second white Negroni and a cup of coffee) came out to $220 before tip.
Next time I’ll get the scallops and the bone marrow again, with a new pizza and a new pasta. Not because the pizza and pasta weren’t great, but because they were great and I want to try some others on as well.
Overall, this place lived up to the hype more than probably any restaurant I’ve been to in LA.
I loved that scallop crudo. Pizza was really good too. Bestia itself was a little clubby for me, but that’s ok, I’m getting old
Love Bestia, prefer it over Bavel for my taste. Both are really great though.
Nice usage of “man alive”.
1 bone marrow pasta per 2 guests is what I usually get, regardless of how good their other dishes are. This is how good the bone marrow pasta is.
I no go there for the bone marrow and beers. SOFAKING good!
That bone marrow dish is my favorite food in all of Los Angeles. It’s so good.
My boyfriend and I have a reservation for next Friday night and I am soooo excited to try the bone marrow. Ughhhh…..🤤 thanks for sharing your thoughts on the experience
I didn’t see your caption at first about the squid ink being partially eaten and i was like that’s a fucked up portion lol.
So what did yall get at taco bell afterward?
I love this place but they don’t serve vegetables which is really strange