Bacari in Playa del Rey casual restaurant with very good food newly opened and Barcaro downtown LA September 2014
Partners Robert and Danny Kronfli along with Executive Chef Lior Hillel recently opened their second location called Bacaripdr at 6805 Vista del Mar Lane in Playa del Rey. Their other restaurant is near USC, which we will have to try sometime.
Chef de Cuisine is Kevin and the bartender is Chris. Most dishes $8 or 3 for $21. We tried signature cocktails (The Brazilian Cobbler and Venetian coffee, of course — always tastes better when the owner is serving)($8 happy hour) but would recommend their extensive wine & house beers.
For starters, we had the grilled romaine, beets, toasted pecan, black pepper marmesan vinaigrette ; the oven roasted bone marrow, caper panko, sea salt, black pepper, baguette; Burrata di gioia marinate calabrese baby artichoke, grilled sourdough, ground black pepper as the cheese melted in our mouth.
Noa, Danny’s friend), inspired the cauliflower dish with Kronfli Bros. chipotle sauce and mixed greens, and his name is on it. There is also lamb stuffed eggplant, lemon garlic emulsion, lemon chip and scallion
On the middle wall in front of the kitchen when you enter is a blackboard divided into squares for the WAITLIST. The entire front wall is a wine list that changes. There is an outside deck on one side; the wall at the back of the deck is the same as the exterior. Check out all the wines in a case on the ceiling.
Other dishes that were very tasty: pan seared polenta (a little crunchy) with roasted market eggplant salad.. (Melissa the server said it was like babaganoush but it had a little different texture and darker look but was very good. The perfectly cooked (chef’s) salmon with (imperceptible) walnut crust, garlic parsley bulgur and the seared scallops were our favorite dishes.
There is a list of Handcrafted grilled pizzas with very thin crust. We had the classic margherita with tomato and basil and the white pizza with no sauce and enjoyed both.
The place was very cozy and casual right near the beach in Playa del Rey with street parking all around but just check the signs. Overall, this place should do very well as the food was very good and affordable with a relaxed atmosphere and friendly service. Kyle the manager was very helpful and attentive.
Barcaro LA located at 2308 S. Union Ave in LA near USC is a hot spot for the college students. The indoor is hopping with a majority of what seemed to be sorority girls ordering many of their delicious dishes and drinks. Happy hour is a bit hit as well with daily specials. We really enjoyed our visit and the manager Alex was most hospitable. Some of our favorite dishes to start with were the pan seared polenta with a tasty eggplant salad, the burrata cheese starter and grilled romaine salad with beets and toasted pecans. They have a nice selection of grilled pizzas to choose from. The hot entrees we highly suggest are the lamb stuffed eggplant, over roasted bone marrow, mac & cheese, bowl of clams and the bacaro burger. The variety by executive chef Lior Hillel and chef de cuisisin Tom Falchini include their creativity and fresh ingredients.
This was their first restaurant with Bacari playa del rey the more recently opened. Don’t miss their specialty seasonal dishes which were amazing including the seared scallops and baked salmon. You can share all of the plates and each cold or hot item is $8 or order 3 for $21 (excluding the seasonal specialties which are $12). Don’t miss the brown butter cookie dough dessert and you will be totally satisfied. We see why both places are very popular so head over to enjoy a fantastic meal.
You can phone them at 213-748-7205