Friday, February 20, 2009

Getting Older at Riva

Daniela, Jessica, Julie, Me, and Angie
The Molto Maiale
Eggplant Parmesan

Quattro Formaggio

Burrata with Peppers

Carrot Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Purse
Strawberry Ice Cream

The talented Chef/Owner Jason Travi and his partners opened up a new restaurant in Santa Monica called Riva. Trendier and  bit more casual than it's sister restaurant Fraiche, Riva is a great place for sharing dishes with friends. My friends were sweet to suggest celebrating my birthday early here. We shared two appetizers (a wood roasted mushroom salad and burrata with peppers). Both were scrumptious and fresh. Then we got crazy with the pizzas and decided to order 4 and share so we could have a sampling. We ordered the Molto Maiale (sausage, meatballs, pancetta, bacon, and tomato), Polpette (house made meatballs, tomato, fontina), Eggplant Parmesan (tomato, gruyere, mozzarella, and basil) and the Quattro Formaggio (ricotta, mozzarella, romano, and something else). The pizza dough was thick at the crust, but extremely thin elsewhere making the pizza floppy and foldable. I loved the Molto Maiale and the meatballs were so yummy. I could just imagine a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs. Thank you Daniela, Jessica, Julie, and Angie for a memorable birthday meal at Riva.

Riva
312 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
www.rivarestaurantla.com

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