![]() When: Lunch, Tuesday through Friday dinner, every dayĭetails: Beer and wine reservations essentialĪtmosphere: Open the door, and you’ll be transported to Firenze (or to Roma, or Venetia, or wherever else you want to go) at this joyous Italian trattoria in the heart of Tarzana, with superb service and a kitchen that nails every dish. Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. It’s a feast from my past - and thanks to Ancora, from my present. The Xerox copied menu of specials (and thank you for not having a waiter stand over the table reciting 11 dishes!) includes an osso buco - a bit of veal bone, with meat falling off, and marrow within. Just like back in the day.) Veal scaloppine two ways. And if it’s an entrée you want - or need - the choices are classic.Ĭhicken parmigiana! Chicken a la Milanese! (That’s pounded thin, and breaded. The pastas are familiar, satisfying old friends in a big bowl, from an oversized lasagna, to a proper spaghetti Bolognese (with lots of meat in the sauce), and a couple of nice risotto, one with mushrooms, one with seafood. (My love for sliced raw beef is a puzzlement. The appetizer of cozze e vongole - mussels and clams in a white wine and garlic sauce - are really good, as are the roasted red peppers with arugula and anchovies, and the admirably simple, focused filet mignon carpaccio. Especially after any of the 10 antipasti, the 10 salads and the three soups. They won’t give you any grief if you finish your meal with pasta at Ancora.Īnd, really, the 20 pastas here are both substantial and substantially good enough to make for a meal. (The customer is always right, but not when it comes to pineapple on pizza.)Īmericans dining in Italy are also somewhat taken aback when restaurants seem insulted when pasta is eaten as a main course in Italy, it’s a middle course, a warmup for the entrée. I’m kind of hoping the ubiquitous owner shows miscreants the door if they request pineapple. In this case, the 10 pies are topped variously with pesto, eggplant, goat cheese, olives, artichokes - and for a little extra, sausage or prosciutto. They’re the sort of pies that come as a bit of a surprise to Americans ordering pizza in Italy, for they’re notable for their almost cracker-like thinness, with a satisfying crunch, not a lot of either sauce or cheese - and definitely no barbecue chicken. And they’re definitely not Chicago-style. Pizza at Ancora Cucina Italiana (Photo by Merrill Shindler)Īs a note of how unwaveringly Italian the place is, it’s worth noting the pizzas, which are very much not California-style pizzas. This is, after all, a restaurant that straddles the boundary between casual everyday dining and special occasion. Every dish is properly prepared, carefully assembled.ĭespite the many dishes - and large number of diners - nothing is thrown together, nothing is sloppy, small touches are made, concern is shown. And yet, they do, with admirable speed and worthy efficiency. And they make me want to travel, if not in person, at least on my plate.Īnd that menu is large, almost dauntingly so, with more than 60 items - not as outlandish as many Chinese menus, but still enough to make you wonder how the kitchen manages it all. They’re very atmospheric and let you know this is a classic Italian restaurant. In fact, it’s even a pleasure to take a gander at the takeout menu, which is decorated with nine beautiful retro travel posters for destinations in Italy: Genoa and the Italian Riviera, Firenze, Venise et le Lido, Assisi and so forth. Like the name, it’s an “anchor” for life in the neighborhood. But within, Ancora is filled with life, with joy, with parties, with families. On the outside, it’s just a building that doesn’t stand out from any number of other businesses. In this case, it’s an unexpected journey to Italy, found on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana. It refers to an “anchor.” But it’s also one of those all-purpose words, that can mean “again,” “more,” “yet,” “not yet” and “even.”
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