Michelin came back to Los Angeles, and I ate at Jon and Vinny’s less than a week before they made the Bib Gourmand.
I think Michelin is BS, tbh, and if they think the people of LA don't care about eating well, they're welcome to take that elsewhere. Self-aggrandizing snobs be damned, I do still believe they are right more often than not, and they're not wrong about Jon & Vinny’s.
They make Italian stuff. All the stuff you immediately associated with Italian cuisine. Marinara Braised Meatballs, for example. Soft, airy baseballs of juicy ground meat in a ripe and tangy tomato sauce that is to die for. There's a swab of the thickest and creamiest ricotta and chewy slabs of garlic bread with grill-stripes for dunking.
Get at least one vegetable, and don't underestimate the simplistic description. The Grilled Broccolini is a veggie that wows. That char tho, mixed with these giant grilled grapes and dusted with chili vinaigrette that pours acid into your burn. It doesn't hurt - it just wakes up your palate for the pasta.
Small but mighty is the Spicy Fusilli, a creamy orange-pink vodka sauce with swivels into the spirals that captures a coat of parmesan.
The underrated Cavatelli is less popular but no less accomplished, and it's probably the prettiest of the pastas. Cavatelli roll-ups wrap around the cream sauce, and the fennel sausage lends salty fragrance. Cavolo nero is a tolerable kind of kale, and its darker, earthier quality elevates the dish.
You'll never make it look as pretty as it tastes, but Nonna’s Lemon Ricotta Cookie harmonizes sweet and citrus. Subtle and worth exploring.
The cookie won't ruin your appetite and it preps you up for this decadent Chocolate Budino. Custard married pot de creme and spawned a chocolate masterpiece. Ribbons of caramel contrast with sprinkles of sea salt, and olive oil is lightening and as enriching as it is enlightening.
Jon & Vinny's is not fancy, and that makes me like it better. They don't try to make it more than it is, and they make Italian staples that taste incredible. There is absolutely no reason not to try them - there’s nothing not to like and no way you won’t find something you more-than-like.
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