Pecorino — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I never thought I would go out of my way to write a negative review about a restaurant, but I feel that my experience at this place has to be written about somewhere. I did visit for my first time here on Valentine's Day, so given the hectic nature of this "holiday" at restaurants, perhaps I just chose the wrong first day. Anyway, the dinner for two included an appetizer, main meal and dessert, all bundled up to $60 per person. This was more than I have ever paid at a dinner for two at even more "luxurious" locations in LA, but given the date, I still attended expecting to be blown away. The Appetizer: A small plate with cured beef surrounding a thin salad. The beef was thin yet flavorful, but unknowingly ordering a new type of food with a strange name resulted in being intimidated by uncooked beef, so I didn't really enjoy it too much. Given it was my fault, I continued onto the main dish. The Main Meal: I don't think I have ever tasted a more dry, flavorless chicken at a restaurant. The flavor matched the kind I make at home on a George Foreman grill when I'm in a hurry. Given that this was to be the main meal of the evening, the portion size was a terrible disappointment as well. It was simply a breaded piece of chicken breast coated with yet another thin layer of salad and a couple of tomato pieces scattered throughout the dish. No sides or anything, just plain chicken and uncomfortably thin greenery. Dessert: Best part of meal, 3 scoops of assorted sorbet in a small plate. The $4 tea I was served only lasted me 1 small ~6 oz. cup, since it was removed after the appetizer and never returned after that. The tea was nothing extraordinary, only a selection of assorted tea bags one could find at a Rite Aid or CVS. The Valet gentleman tipped over my girlfriend's roses when retrieving the car, and spilled water all over her laptop bag. Given the poor service, overcrowded environment and small portions of food for such a high price, I decided not to leave a tip, as I was on somewhat of a budget. Now, I have always been a courteous tipper, leaving the average amount and often more when service is great, but this time I just couldn't bring myself around to do it. Regardless, the restaurant decided to charge the 18% gratuity fee onto my card although I specifically signed a different total on the receipt. I was notified that my checking account was over-drafted this morning by a couple of bucks because of this. I guess I learned my lesson, dinner on Valentine's Day is the worst idea ever. I will attempt to call and get the money refunded, given that as far as I was concerned, a gratuity fee was not mandatory, especially for only a...

Really solid service; that was the strongest part about my experience at this restaurant. The atmosphere is not bad although it’s a bit squished inside and the whole establishment would shake a lot for some reason? As for the food, what we ordered was pretty good although not really justified by the prices. Portions were small. Also, the menu was actually quite limited. None of the primi (pastas) or secondi (meat dishes) were particularly enticing. That being said, the dessert I ordered (mille foglie) was very good. Overall, I didn’t have a horrible experience. However, In light of the prices and the quality of the menu, I probably wouldn’t come back here or recommend it to any friends. Also worth noting is that this place is wine...

UPDATE - Fantastic as always! Chef/Owner Raffaele and Erin are great and are now remembering me!!! :-) They have my all-time favorite dish...Cacio e Pepe! After Roma, Italia, only the namesake in NYC and Pecorino do it almost just as well! If I'm within 90 minutes of Pecorino, I go! BTW...everything else on the menu is also delicious! ENJOY! Ci vediamo presto! CIAO for Now!

Great dinner with all my traditional favorites, served by an Italian staff! Prosciutto e Melone - the melon could have a little more ripe; however, the Prosciutto was fantastic. I went for my all time favorite - Cacio e Pepe - and it did not disappoint. Finished in the wheel of Pecorino!The freshly made sfogliatelle were...