Tuesday Tastings :: Bottega Louie

Since we're in downtown Los Angeles a lot more visiting the den.m|bar shop a lot, we decided to have a nice meal at Bottega Louie. For those of you who haven't gone yet, let's just say it's a very "L.A." spot to go to. Don't get me wrong, I love the food there and the drinks and the desserts. But there is quite a wait if you don't go early enough. And it's the type of place where people go to "see or be seen".

I didn't bother with photos of people... or myself for that matter. I was very focused and concentrated on the food. Like my blog tag line says, "An optical fashionista with an appetite." And that's just what I am. A hungry optical nerd.

Bottega Louie has my favorite Black and Blue mojitos yet. I've ordered them at other places and they still hold a special place in my heart at Bottega. It's a mojito with fresh blackberries and blueberries muddled in the drink. I like eating the berries afterward.

Mache, frisée, bay leaf brined roasted chicken,
avocado, celery, scallions, julienned snap peas,
Meyer lemon & extra virgin olive oil

They have some really good salads. I ordered the Mache salad. It was very refreshing. Especially with the fresh Meyer lemon. I sprinkled that lemon juice all over my salad.

Toasted house made ciabatta, vine ripened
tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, lardons, bocconcini,
basil & creamy red wine vinaigrette

Friendboy ordered the Panzanella salad. His was REALLY good. It does not say it on the menu but his actually came with fresh mozarella in his salad. That was really good with the freshness of the greens.

Mozzarella, Grana parmesan, tomato sauce,
oregano & fennel sausage

I don't know about you but the friendboy and I enjoy having "gourmet pizza" from time to time. Some of our favorites include Pizzeria Mozza in Melrose and also Serious Pie in Seattle. Bottega Louie is also among one of those favorite gourmet pizza spots. The best part of it all is the gourmet toppings they use. And from what we've learned from Serious Pie in Seattle, the most important key to making a great pizza is laying a great foundation of pizza dough! Bottega also does just that.

Pan sautéed trenne pasta with braised
prime rib eye, Tuscan black kale & shaved
Grana parmesan

I ordered one of my favorite dishes. The Trenne pasta. It is probably one of the most unique pasta dishes I've had. And I'll tell you why. That pasta you see there... isn't your typical al dente style pasta. It's al dente AND some. They actually pan sautee the pasta so that one of the edges of it's triangular cylindrical shape is crispy! I love the texture that it gives when eating it. And the kale is cooked really well too. Sometimes kale can be a little bitter when cooked. But it was NOT in my pasta. As for the braised prime rib eye... well... I've always been a meat and potatoes gal. I had to have some meat in my dish. And yes, it was quite tasty.

Chocolate Souffle

Yes. We ordered dessert. We figured... we're here, we don't always come out to this restaurant, we'll just treat ourselves to Chocolate Souffle. Don't worry, we didn't eat everything. We had leftovers! We may be pigs but we're not as bad as you think!!

Anyway, it was delicious. It takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare and bake so we were very happy we ordered early enough. The server came over and brought this mouthwatering dish over. He punctured a hole in the center and poured in a vanilla bean creme sauce. It was amazing!

From top to bottom: Chocolate Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, Coffee, & Strawberry. Photo via Instagram @aneyeforfashion

Oh yeah... they also have a bakery at Bottega Louie. And they are known for their macarons also. While they are tasty, they are a bit on the sweet side. I prefer 'lette Macarons over Bottega Louie, just my personal preference. But it's worth a try. Bottega's macarons come in a pretty and fancy box with tissue paper. But, they are also kind of pricey.

So that ends my gluttony post for today. Stay tuned for more... we're always eating.