After looking to the sea for his much lauded Crudo e Nudo sustainable seafood restaurant on Santa Monica’s Main Street, local chef/owner Brian Bornemann is now looking to Italy for the food and just down the street for the location of his new venture.
The Santa Monica resident is set to open Bar Fortuna, a new pasta and Italian cocktail restaurant at 2917 Main St., located just a block away from Crudo.
“What’s interesting to me is not just opening another restaurant but creating this other side of the coin to Crudo, this terrestrial sister if you will, that will highlight local sourcing,” said Bornemann, who grew up in the same neighborhood by the beach where his restaurants are located.
New Santa Monica pasta spot Bar Fortuna is set to open at the end of October at 2917 Main St. (Photo by Catherine Dzilenski)
No specific opening day is set yet, but the chef expects the kitchen to be up and running by the end of the month. Once it opens, diners can expect a menu inspired by his time living, cooking, and learning how to make pasta across Italy with his food served in a spot that’s reminiscent of a historic trattoria but with a soul that is purely Californian.
“We’re focusing on local. So we’re not buying parmesan or pecorino, we’re not using Italian olive oils. Everything will be coming from California,” he said. “The motivation is to highlight that it’s possible to create good technique-based world class food and create this Italian ethos while not importing ingredients.”
According to Bornemann, some of the must-try dishes once Bar Fortuna opens include shaved veggie salads.
“Our can’t miss is the fennel salad. We love this combination of crispy, crunchy shaved veggies instead of leafy greens where it feels really good for you before you get into your noodles,” he said.
Other dishes include a twisted noodle plate dressed with a sauce made of hot Italian sausage, red onion, grapes in the sauce, red wine and rosemary. Also check out the Spaghetti alla Puttanesca or the Fettuccine negre, made with squid ink and calamari, plus the “Clam Show” Bucatini and drinks like the house Negronis.
Bar Fortuna will be located at 2917 Main St., Santa Monica. For more information go to barfortuna.com
Dining and Cooking