A WARM WELCOME: THE ITALIANS ARE COMING

Welcome.  Right this way.  Please silence your smart phone.  (And forget everything you thought you knew about focaccia.)

Bucato translates directly to “laundry”: a reference to the customary way handcrafted pasta dries on the line. Nodding to the time spent under Alessandra Spisni at La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese in Italy, studying the traditional ways to properly handle pasta fatto a mano (by hand), Chef Evan Funke has thought of everything, and it is immediately apparent even before the first appetizer has had a moment to cool.

Having recently opened their doors this past summer, Bucato is fetching new buzz to the already famed Helms Bakery District in Culver City. They nonchalantly advertise the sort of authentic Italian food celebrated in New York, but notoriously omitted from the Los Angeles foodie scene.  Without the usual overwhelming onslaught of flavors (so common as to give LA its bad reputation for Italian cuisine), Bucato offers deep, rich fare without a pinch of pretention. It is nothing short of refreshing to find friendly, accessible food that still allows for the feeling of fine dining.

READ THE FULL FEATURE ON BUCATO HERE.

text MEAGAN JUDKINS