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Community Corner

Ring in the New Year with a Kiss -- Al Bacio Style!

It’s typical to ring in the New Year with a kiss and for one West Hollywood restaurant they are taking the notion literally. Al Bacio (means “kiss” as in a kiss of approval for a delicious dish) is offering a 4-course dinner prepared by Executive Chef Christian Simionato on New Year’s Eve that will set the stage for the countdown to 2014. Set in the site formerly occupied by Osterio Drago, Al Bacio features a menu of authentic Italian cuisine made from top-of-the-line ingredients with all dishes made from scratch and right on the premises including its pastas and sorbets.

The prix fixe menu is priced at $95 per person (wine not included) and begins with a complimentary glass of Prosecco and a choice of appetizers including beef tartar with quail egg, blueberry sauce, Parmesan cheese chips and black truffle or oyster and scallop with a butternut squash puree and rustic bread chips. Next course you can select either risotto with lobster, caviar and orange zest or tortelli stuffed with Fontina cheese and venison ragu. Main courses include your choice of King Salmon with soft potato and sautéed garlic brussel sprouts or Wagyu Beef cubes, carrot puree, cipollini fondant, spinach and black truffle in a beef sauce. Desserts include Italian mascarpone cheese cake with an orange compote and cocoa sorbet or chocolate mousse with white truffle foam and raspberry granatine.

Simionato, a native of Venice, Italy, gained vast experience in the European dining scene and in Beijing before arriving in the U.S. where he joined renowned chef Jean Pierre Dubray in debuting Andrea, the five star dining establishment at The Resort at Pelican Hill. He has partnered with restaurant veteran Roberto Sarracino, owner of an exclusive, high-end Italian food importer, to bring Al Bacio to life. Their philosophy is to prepare everything from scratch using top-notch food products and ingredients available to them from Sarracino’s import business. 

The interior of the 75-seat restaurant carries a sleek Hollywood Regency design with contemporary touches and colorful artwork. Guests enter through a covered patio overlooking bustling Sunset Boulevard and walk into the bar with its Carrara marble top and barstool seating facing selections from Al Bacio’s extensive collection of Italian and California wines. The dining room offers upholstered banquettes as well as tables with bistro seating. A private dining room that seats 40 is situated on the opposite side of the eatery.

Al Bacio is open daily for dinner except Sundays with lunch served Wednesdays – Fridays beginning in 2014. Happy hour is from 5 – 7 p.m. weekdays. Call (310) 657-1182 for reservations.

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