Restaurant: Scopa Italian Roots
Location: 2905 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 90292. (310) 821-1100
Date: March 24, 2018
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: New style rustic Italian
My wife loves Italian food so we like to test out any (decent looking) new Westside entry into that crowded arena.
Scopa (and it’s long winded colon name) is near Washington and Venice, right down the street from one of my favorite Indian places.
The space is totally in that new hard surfaces, bar-like, industrial new style.
The menu.
I just got a glass of Italian rose.
Steak Tartare. Capers, quail egg, lemon, chives, lardo toast. Very good version of classic Steak Tartare (which in Italy is more often veal). The lardo added a unique take on it.
Crispy Squash Blossoms. Ricotta, mozzarella, tomato, chili flakes. Nothing novel here, but well done and a good sized portion.
Rigatoni, vodka sauce, chili flake, basil, fresh ricotta.
Lasagne. Italian sausage, meat sauce, parmesan locatelli. The new rustic style loves the curly parm. This lasagna was solid. I would have liked a more intense sausage flavor but it was good.
We didn’t have a chance to order that much, but what I did have here was solid. Well executed on straightforward modern rustic. Not “more interesting” like Sotto, but more a crowd pleaser version of such. The format is fairly Millennial friendly — a bit loud. They have a big bar and cocktails (which I rarely bother with).