Jame Enoteca UPDATE - El Segundo

Revisiting a local favorite, a legit fine-dining-level Italian pasta house situated in El Segundo's Main Street strip. 

The goal is to try new things, and although the menu has stayed fairly static for several years, much of it is new to me. 

My choice of Ospi's Crispy Provolone proves to be quite unwise as giant sandwich-sized blocks of mild, stringy cheese with a hard fried shell settle in the stomach with the lightness of a brick. The creamy vodka sauce is no standout, and this brick most bland needed something sharp.

The cheese is so heavy I can't fully enjoy the other items. A shame as both pastas are just amazing. The Tagliatelle al Ragu is deeply savory, a significant quantity of simmered meat that grips the ribbon strips and lingers very long.

It's first encounter with Mandilli, these floppy, pocket-squares of softer-than-al-dente sheets. The texture and the look, the way they flap and fold on the fork is enchanting, even more so as they're running with a silky jade-green pesto.

The apps are alright, and the sandwiches look fun, but the perfection is in the pasta. Just revel in the texture and savor all the sauce. 

Jame Enoteca - El Segundo

There’s an Italian bistro in El Segundo generating a bit of buzz and quite the fuss. It's tucked away in a main street strip mall, a small, elegant storefront.

I start with some skepticism, staring at a dish of Sprouts. I love a good brussel, but it's still just a brussel...or is it? Alright, Jame, you have my full attention. A single bite reveals that they are perfectly roasted, the bare minimum, IMO, but then you taste the drizzle, which is a flavor so divine I can only assume it's what balsamic is supposed to be. 

The DineLA deal comes with a glass of wine, and my Montepulciano pairs well with whatever, as if my unsophisticated wine palate would know. It’s a young wine, but it has some style and smoothness, which is more than I would expect for something comp'ed.

Meaty, meaty Meatballs, so moist. Topped with a thick tomato, creamy with a little cheese, offset by a sharp arugula. 

Paccheri is rich with savory sausage, pork permeating a simple, tart tomato and finishes with an aroma of fennel and fragrant sage.

I was prepared to love the paccheri, but the Spicy Rigatoni catches me by surprise. A simple-seeming sauce clings with the crannies of every rigatoni sleeve and leaves you breathless in a single bite. It's just pasta with a sauce, but you'll want to take shots of this vodka.

Dessert is a Meyer Lemon Pie, a tart confection in a cohesive cracker crust with crunch, topped with a baseball of fresh whipped cream that's almost as thick as ice cream. 

Every bite from Jame is simple yet exceptional, and though the food is familiar, it carries the signature of their own unique swagger. Italians are known to be playful, but this food has serious flavor.