Il Moro Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

It was my first time here and we came for the Mother's Day special menu. $69 for a pre-picked menu for adults and $29 for the same pre-picked menu for my child who is 12 and under. So the appetizers were the best part of our experience. I had the tomato soup and it was my favorite part of the whole night! My Mom had the artichoke salad which she enjoyed and my son had the meatballs which he also really enjoyed. Then we got our entrees. I got the sole with a side of asparagus, my Mom got the bowtie salmon alfredo and my son got the meat lasagna. So I rate my entree 3 stars. The sole was swimming in butter that had somehow already hardened when it got to me. The asparagus would have been beautiful if it was just cooked with some salt and pepper. It came drenched in Jack cheese, which sounds delicious but it was lacking flavor for me. So I ate it but would not order it again. My mom had a similar experience with her entree, she said it lacked flavor and felt super fatty at the same time. My son did not like the lasagna at all and we had to send it back and thankfully they gave us more meatballs (my Mom and I each tried a tiny bite of the lasagna and it did have a weird flavor that I couldnt put my finger on. The after taste was the nail in the coffin, so there was merit behind him sending it back) and lastly the dessert I would give 4 stars. I ordered a chocolate flourless tarte covered in powdered sugar which was quite delightful. My mom and son each ordered the lemon cheesecake with strawberry drizzle sauce and there again, was a weird aftertaste when eating the cheesecake. Overall, the experience was super pleasant. The waiter and hostess could not have been nicer! The hostess made it a point to stop and char with my son which he enjoyed and she even offered to take pictures of all of us which was super sweet of her. Final take: I wish I would have ordered the lamb chops for the main entree because the woman next to me enjoyed them so loudly that I was super jealous. Lol! I would try this again on a night where the menu was not limited to give a true review. But for tonight, this...

I think I've driven by this place a thousand times and never noticed it. I finally had a chance to give it a try, based on a glowing recommendation from a close friend.

My first impression was that it looked like a restaurant you'd find in a hotel. The decor is somewhat dated and understated, but the place is clean. I was there on a Saturday night during dinner hours, and it seemed like most of the guests were in their 70s or 80s.

However, from the moment our waitress greeted us, the service was top-notch. And that can make all the difference in a restaurant like this.

The menu has lots of great options. We started with a glass of the Malbec, which took some time to open up, but was great once it did. And it paired perfectly were the incredible aged balsamic they serve for dipping bread. But the bread itself seemed like an afterthought. There is nothing special about it, and it doesn't taste homemade.

For appetizers we decided to share the Portobello e Cannellini (portobello mushroom with Cannellini beans). The mushroom was very earthy, but the Cannellini beans did not have much flavor. This was my least favorite dish of the evening.

We also had the Polipo Alla Brace (grilled octopus on chick pea pure), which was fantastic. The octopus was so tender, not chewy at all.

For our entrees we shared the Pizza Parmiggiana (rolled eggplant, mozzarella, basil). It was amazing!! The pizza dough is thick and a little chewy, which I love. The the crust was perfect for dipping in the balsamic. In fact, I would prefer it if they served a bread made out of the pizza dough as their bread basket, for dipping in the balsamic and olive oil.

We also shared the Ravioli do Pollo (homemade pasta stuffed with chicken). For this dish the pasta was cooked to perfection, but the chicken inside was dry and overcooked.

Based on this meal, I will come back to try some of the other dishes...

I passed by this restaurant for years. We thought it was an expensive high end restaurant as we always saw exotic cars at the valet. But then we tried it.

The price on their food and drinks was on par with other new restaurant $$-$$$. And I love the outdoor patio seating next to the manmade waterfall and stream (off for water conservation.) It's a large courtyard within the old Executive Tower. Il Moro is very generous with the outdoor patio heaters.

This is a local favorite for the older generation. Maybe its because I always have a 6pm dinner reservation. As we leave, we see younger couples and groups.

They have a private room that can fit a party of 10-12. It's really nice: All glass overlooking the main dining room and courtyard. Great classy private room.

The calamari is my favorite. And I always get the lamb chops when available. That reduction sauce is amazing. However, as with the current trend, the price went up and the portions are smaller. All the other dishes were really good. Not super amazing and fabulous, but consistent and tasty for the price range. Good service too.

Update: 2/16/2024. Tonight I order the seafood linguine. Wow, it was packed with seafood. The fresh grilled fish filets were excellent. Thr clams and mussels were plentiful and the linguine was cooked perfectly (al dante.) The seafood broth was a little too salty to drink from but it flavored the linguine and seafood perfectly. I would order again.

Also, tonight, the calamari was "too oily." Its usually delicately battered and comes out hot and crispy. But tonight, it was just too oily for us to finish. When the waiter, "Baron" asked if it was satisfactory, i had to tell him the truth. He later comped our tiramisu dessert. That is a good example of good service. We will...