MY FAVORITE PASTA DISH ON THE PLANET IS BACK IN LOS ANGELES. I REPEAT. MY FAVORITE PASTA. IS BACK IN LOS ANGELES.
Ever since Scarpetta closed its doors about a year or so ago, there was a void I worried would never be filled – that is unless I was willing to travel to the Scarpetta in Vegas or NY to fill it. But thankfully as of a few months ago, chef Scott Conant is back in Los Angeles and has teamed up with some of my favorite local restauranteurs to bring us The Ponte, and thus, bring back Scott’s signature spaghetti pomodoro.
The Ponte is located in the space that used to be another favorite of mine, Terrine, which I was genuinely sad to see go. But, truth be told The Ponte is a place I can see myself frequenting more often and it really does give the space the justice it deserves. I love that the genius that is Ryan Wainwright stayed on after his time at Terrine to continue his work as cocktail maestro. I also love that Executive Chef Freddy Vargas (who worked under Scott Conant at Scarpetta) is running the kitchen day-to-day. Everyone involved with The Ponte are people in the F&B industry that I absolutely adore and trust, so before even having gone in I knew there’d be nothing but love and respect for this place.
As stated previously, and as you may suspect, the menu at The Ponte leans heavily towards Italian inspired dishes with plenty of pasta AND pizza options – pizzas being something that actually weren’t offered at Scarpetta. The Ponte is equipped with a wood burning oven and many of my favorite dishes from the night, including their margherita pizza, were roasted/cooked in said oven.
The ambiance at The Ponte was a good portion of the reason why I loved Terrine so much; the patio is absolutely stunning and the perfect place to have a beautiful meal under a tree canopy and some twinkling lights. The bar hasn’t changed and thus remains one of the more classic/grand restaurant bars I’ve always loved to have a drink at first before sitting down to dine.
Simply stated, The Ponte is pure perfection. For me it’s one of those places you can’t go to just once. You’ll find yourself wanting to go back for that spaghetti, or the pizza, or the negronis often. It’s the one restaurant right now I am suggesting to everyone because between the price point, the space, the quality, and the meal – it really won’t disappoint or make me look like I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about!
Must Drink | If you’re a Negroni person… you have a lot of options at The Ponte. It was really fun starting with the Negroni flight and then moving on to some Italian wine as the night went on, but with Ryan Wainwright in the house, definitely don’t pass up on the cocktails!
Must Order | Let me say it one more time, you MUST order the pasta al pomodoro!!! It’s a Scott Conant signature and my favorite pasta of all time. Outside of that I absolutely LOVED the Wood Roasted Prawns, the Seasonal Mushroom “Boscaiola”, their fresh salads, and their wood roasted vegetables. The biggest surprise though was definitely their pizza! I thought it was going to be just another wood oven pizza, but my goodness was I wrong – their margherita pizza was one of the best I’ve had in a while. If you save room for dessert (and if you like bananas) definitely get the Banana Budino – that thing is DANGEROUSLY good.
Perfect Spot For | dinner al fresco // pasta // pizza // cocktails // brunch // date night // a place to impress parents/friends/colleagues
THE PONTE // 8265 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90048
HOURS
Dinner:
Sun – Thurs 6-10 pm
Fri & Sat 6-11:30pm
Brunch:
Sat & Sun 10am-3pm
Leave a Reply