Toscana Brentwood — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Honestly one of the worst dining experiences I have had in my life. The waitress acted like a stuck up strict teacher by lecturing us on very simple things on the menu and, in general, speaking very monotoned and annoyed. I understand that working in the service industry is exhausting but there is no excuse for her behavior. The Pollo al Mattone is a large portion which is great but is heavily under salted and underseasoned. The Pappardelle ai Funghi literally tastes like boiled mushroom water. There was no salt nor creaminess even though there was mascarpone and parmigiano reggiano allegedly in the sauce. The Risotto Primavera was not bad (a little bland) but it came with italian sausage even though this is a vegetarian dish. I had made it clear to the waitress earlier that I do not eat pork and so she took it back. After 15-20 minutes, I received my risotto again only for the rice to be absolutely raw. At that point, I had waited 40 minutes for mediocre food so I just asked that the waitress cancel the order. They brought a cheesecake as an apology for the mishap and said that the kitchen never makes mistakes even though 3 out of the 4 dishes we ordered were lackluster at best. The cheesecake was ok but I will add that it is very hard to make a bad cheesecake. The main issue with the cheesecake was its small portion, its lack of creaminess and its lack of flavor (it was not a little tart as expected from cheesecake). The danishes on the side of the cheesecake was good though. I gave this place two stars instead of one because I bet there are dishes that are good on the menu. For example, the Spaghetti Pomodoro is tasty but at the same time, the crazy prices make a lot of the menu...

I met my old friend here for a dinner. We hadn’t seen each other in decades. He comes here to eat often and I would imagine the folks know him. The food was excellent and the waiter fairly patient with my old friend. But he Acted patient and that was unnecessary. When we got out to get our cars, it was a cash only situation. This is highly unusual these days. It’s usually no cash, right? At any rate, they wouldn’t take his credit card and he refused to go get cash. They’re right down here all the time they know me. Finally somebody who knew him came and took his credit card. By then there was a line and it was kind of stressful. The thing that makes these kinds of upscale dining places worth the money is is they treat you like they know you. Brentwood is a neighborhood- in spite of what outsiders may think- folks grow up and grow old here. Many people who frequent the places are important people in show business..that’s a given. While I might disagree with not heeding the “no cash” sign, I think first and foremost the customer is right- especially old folks who don’t understand the disconnect between now (who cares?)and Then - when people did whatever it took to make sure they kept the customer happy. Though my food was delicious, I thought the place aLittle too noisy And bright - not great lighting. There is a nice outdoor area. but I will certainly not refuse an invitation to meet someone there in the future. Maybe try for lunch instead of dinner. maybe not park...

Every dish we had was perfect--fresh and simple, truly the flavors of Tuscany. What we ordered: starters--shrimp and white beans and insalata tricolore (ask for thin shavings of Pecorino on top)--this salad was so crisp and fresh, lightly dressed with oil and delicious balsamic; main dishes--trofie with baby artichokes and fresh shelled peas (the menu said fusilli, but my dish was made with trofie and they were superb) and pollo al mattone--a pressed grilled half chicken with roasted potatoes, both seasoned perfectly with chopped fresh rosemary, and cooked, lightly dressed spinach The last dish is a standard at many Tuscan restaurants. The chicken could have been slightly less cooked but was still terrific. A little prosecco, a little 🍷, a blueberry crostata to share with piping hot espressos. What's not to like?!!

All seating is outdoors and we were at the busy corner of San Vicente and Darlington, but it wasn't as bad as we imagined. Conversation was possible without straining to talk or hear. They should consider adding a low folding screen at the corner to give that table a bit more privacy and to keep pedestrians at a safer distance. Otherwise, we loved it and it was worthy of our special...