Location: 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, CA 90291. (310) 250-1429
Date: Jan 11, 2011
Cuisine: New Californian
Rating: Perfect lunch!
My brother and I love Gjelina’s for lunch. Nowhere else in LA is the casual New American done so right. This is my second review, you can find the first here.
Today’s menu. It changes up constantly, although there are similar themes.
They always have Burrata, which my loyal readers know I just adore (CLICK HERE for my home version). This is “Burrata with Salted Anchovy, Pepperonata & Mint Pesto on Toasts.” Interesting. This has a vague resemblance to the classic Spanish dish done so well at Botin in Madrid (CLICK HERE to see). The anchovies were the salted kind, although good ones. I would have preferred the fresher Spanish fish, but it was still a soft and tasty dish.
“Wood Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Parsley & Chili.” We always get this here, as it’s one of the best Cauliflower dishes I’ve had. Sour, tangy, and a tiny bit spicy.
This was a new pizza I hadn’t tried before. “Duck Sausage, Black Trumpet Mushroom, Garlic, and Mozzarella.” Good, but not as good as their “Lamb Sausage, Confit Tomato, Rapini, Pecorino & Asiago.” Or perhaps I’ve just become jaded by Ultimate Pizza.
Pizza at Gjelina’s always comes with the red pepper, parmesan, and oregano. A sort of high class variant of what you’d have on the table at a New York or Jersey pizza joint.
“Niman Ranch Lamb Burger with Harissa Aioli, Roasted Tomato & Arugula,” is usually on the menu, and for a reason. Not only are the seasoned fries great (particularly with the aioli and the harissa), but the burger is totally succulent lamb city.
Close up of that pink!
And the best thing at Gjelina: “Butterscotch Pot de Crème with Salted Caramel & Crème Fraiche.” This is an absolutely perfect desert to my taste. Rich creamy butterscotch creme, carmel, and a bit of salt.
No disappointments here.
If you liked this New American, click for reviews of similar places: Rustic Canyon (REVIEW 1, REVIEW 2), Tavern (REVIEW 1, REVIEW 2), or coming soon, Fig.
All Things Andy Gavin 
[…] January 19, 2011 at 7:23 am Gjelina Scores Again « All Things Andy Gavin […]
We went recently and were not impressed at all. We ordered three different pizzas and were burned, not in a good way. Left a terrible after taste. I love pizza and I loved the concept of Gjelina, and is comparable with San Francisco. However, they failed the taste test with my group and I. Maybe they were having an off day, but to have all 3 pizzas taste bad? Also, the wait after we ordered our food was too long, even though the restaurant was empty on a rainy Sunday late afternoon.
The pizzas are not their strongest point. I agree they always do have a slightly “charred” taste — although the crispness of the crust is good. Their sandwiches and vegetables are awesome though. And that butterscotch thing! But Mozza makes a better pizza, as do I 🙂 Check out http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/2011/01/09/ultimate-pizza-in-review/
I really like Mozza! 2010 was the year of super perfect pizzas in SF so my standards have risen. Nice pics, now I am craving pizza!
Yeah. High end, but vaguely traditional pizza is on fire now. NY has gone crazy in the last 2 or so years with it too.
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