When I read spectacular reviews about Funcke restaurant in Beverly Hills I tried to get a reservation but that was too tough for me, so I decided to try a more local restaurant with the same owner — Felix Trattoria in Venice.
When I got there, I realized that the space was where Joe’s restaurant, a local favorite years ago, used to be located. We were promptly seated after some argument about being seated before everyone was there, and we waited for our friends to arrive.
As in so many restaurants it was too loud to comfortably converse, and the chairs were uncomfortable. We didn’t like the ambiance, and if we hadn’t had friends meeting us, we probably would have left.
Eventually our friends arrived, and the waitress gave us an informative speech about the restaurant’s concept: Portions are large to be shared family style. Then I looked at the wine list. I didn’t see any bottles under $100, and none of the inexpensive Rhône wines or Tuscan wines I like to order in pasta based restaurants. So, I asked to speak with the wine steward. He showed up right away and was friendly and helpful and we ended up with a wine that was unfamiliar to me but for $85 not bad. I didn’t see it on the wine list.
We ordered a couple of appetizers and two main courses to share. One of the appetizers was grilled artichokes, much like served in the Jewish quarter in Rome, only these were better. A "Caesar-like" salad also showed up and it too was very good.
Then the two pasta dishes arrived, and they were both excellent. One was the recommended house specialty, with a mild lemon flavor, and the other was a wonderful duck pasta, like no other I’ve had in Los Angeles.
If you’re a young person with a good appetite, and not sensitive to noise, you can have a wonderful dinner at this restaurant. But since I like to bring my wines to Italian restaurants, the $75 corkage fee is a no-go for me, and I doubt that I’ll return.
1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd
424-387-8622
felixla.com
Merv Hecht’s latest book “The Instant Wine Connoisseur” is available on Amazon.
