Nerano — Restaurant in Beverly Hills

So it was about time to take my girlfriend out for a nice Italian dinner (her favorite), as a late Christmas gift and 6 mos. anniversary celebration. I had never been to Nerano, but chose it because of its West LA proximity, and because they serve a pasta bolognese (her favorite). No spending limit here; fully prepared to pay for a nice quality evening.

We visited on a Sunday evening, Jan 21. Not knowing what crowds to expect, I called the day before and placed a reservation. We easily found street parking and the main entrance, hidden down a quiet alley between buildings. As it turns out, I think we had the place mostly to ourselves when we arrived at 6pm, which was a pleasant surprise. Our table was to the right, up against the wall, on which was hung two eye-catching photographs of a Weimaraner positioned alertly on various home effects. Likely a product of the artist William Wegman, as my girlfriend astutely observed.

Our server (Almando?) gave us a warm greeting and brought sparkling water and an amuse-bouche of sliced fresh vegetables over ice (bell peppers, carrots..) and a balsamic dipping sauce, which I would put on everything if I had some at home. The lady ordered a glass of the red Leviathan Cabernet blend, and I had the Galerie Sauvignon Blanc, which was very balanced between dry and sweet.

Our antipasti of choice was the Burrata Caprese, a simple but elegant plate of sliced tomatoes, fresh burrata (mozzarella), and a large leaf of basil. Probably the best mozzarella I've had.

One of the evening's specials was an Icelandic halibut, and I don't think I even looked at the menu after hearing that. The fish was served with some roasted / glazed vegetables and thick asparagus, which was perfectly done and not soggy or drowning in sauce. My girlfriend had the Garganelli al Ragu, which also provided a savory next-day lunch.

Then came everyone's favorite - the dessert! We split the Nocciolino (the carrot cake was our 2nd choice), and I also sampled the suggested digestif pairing (Quinta do Vallado Tawny Port, 20 yr), which subtly complemented the chocolate tones.

Many thanks to Nerano for a wonderful evening! We said we would come back in another 6 months, but it might have to...

Absolutely remarkable food at Nerano in Beverly Hills last week.

Appetizers included a crudo sampler with yellowtail, Alaskan halibut and salmon. All of the different fish were fresh and delicious. My favorite of the three was the halibut, served with cilantro, avocado, pink peppercorn and lime juice. It was light and addictive.

For starters I also had the Polpo alla Griglia, a grilled Spanish octopus with olive oil over mashed potatoes. This was one of the best octopus dishes I've ever had. The octopus was grilled to perfection with distinguished char marks and had a unique flavor. I would come back just for this dish!

For my entrée, the Gnudi al Tartufo Nero, a ricotta and spinach gnudi with mushrooms, toasted sage and Norcia black truffle. My server told me this dish has been on the menu since day one of the restaurant opening and I can see why! It was phenomenal. Creamy, light, airy, delicate, and most of all delicious. Clearly handmade, this dish made my taste buds sing.

I also had the evening special, Colorado lamb chops with tri-color cauliflower and wild Oregon mushrooms. The portion size of the lamb was generous and the seasoning well, however I would have preferred a bit more of a sear on the chops. The cauliflower was absolutely delicious and a great side.

For dessert, I had the "Dessert of the Day," a traditional olive oil cake with sorbet. The cake was great and served with fresh fruit, a perfect ending to a...

Stumbled upon a gem of a resturant last night...NERANO in Beverly Hills.... Food was really great (yellow beets with mint and pizza Bianca, service was fantastic from the host to (Armando) until.......

Now for the the bad news...the Busboy packed our leftover food and came back to say it was left "at the front for us". We said ok, and leisurely had a last glass of Prosecco.

We got our car from the valet and halfway home realized we never got the food. Now, I've never had a resturant do that where they don't bring you the bags directly, so i don't know why they decided to do this, but in my opinion, if that's your service, then the girl at the front needs to be on it. Either to give us the bags when we left, or at least someone should have recognized we didn't get the food and come out to the valet with it.

Had we not been almost home, we would definitely turned around and gone back. We only had 2 of the slices of a large pizza, and looked forward to having our husband's try it at home. We were so dissappionted, besides the fact it was delicious, barely eaten, it was also over about $32.00. My suggestion is, at this level of service either bring the bags to the guests at the table, or make sure they receive at the door.

One hiccup made the overall great experience a negative...