Il Piccolo Verde in Brentwood offers delicious, affordable dining including late night, breakfast- November 2015
Il Piccolo Verde is a hidden gem located on Barrington Place near Sunset Blvd. For dinner, we started with a basket of tasty bread which we must say I ate without too much guilt, as it was a bit of a ‘flatbread’ cut in squares along with a minced olive dip, which we found this one to be particularly good and on the mild side.
Then we tried a few appetizer’s. The baked Eggplant like a mini Parmesan and very tasty, the Caprese Salad, and the Carrot/Cauliflower Soup without dairy. All of which were good and a nice way to begin. We asked if they could grill the Calamari instead of deep frying it and they obliged. It is rare to find a place that does it this way anymore in So California. You have to go up north in Cali where it is more popular that way.
Moving on to the main course, we had the Filet Mignon, ordered Medium w/mashed potatoes rather than the roasted which it normally comes with. It was cooked to perfection and the mashed were good, along with a generous portion of sauteed spinach. The price of the filet was reasonable, for the taste and 8 oz size of it. Accompany that with a glass of Cabernet was a nice compliment. The salmon piccata is an excellent choice for fish lovers especially for someone like me who is a huge fan of capers. It is served with delish broccolini and roasted potatoes. Lastly, we tried the shellfish/pasta dish in the spicy tomato sauce which was very nice. I substituted for the gluten-free fusilli pasta which was hard to differentiate. Yes they also have fantastic pizza including gluten-free dough which we tried.
There are some nice dessert choices as well, of which we tried a few. Can’t go wrong with any of those either!
The restaurant has a nice local neighborhood feel to it, is casual, yet does offer a nice atmosphere with candles on the tables, and good lighting. Added to that was the rather romantic sounding Italian music playing softly in the background.
This is one of the few restaurants in Brentwood that serves breakfast at all. (It is also one of the only restaurants in the area that offers late night dining until 3 o’clock in the morning.) They have a pleasant outdoor patio which is where we decided to enjoy our Saturday morning breakfast. We started with the smoked salmon with capers, shredded red onion, a side of cream cheese and delicious grilled baguette slices. We also enjoyed an egg white omelet stuffed with grilled vegetables with fruit on the side. It was cooked to perfection and they had no problem preparing it with light cooking spray instead of butter, as we asked.
We also decided to try the gluten-free pancakes. Do not shy away from these because you think they’re going to taste like cardboard. They are so delicious you will love them even if you have no hard feelings against wheat. They are heartier and more flavorful than wheat pancakes; we highly recommend them. I had mine with no butter because I avoid butter, but even without butter (& just a little bit of maple syrup) they were incredible.
We were full with the other choices or we would have tried their eggs benedict with smoked salmon, which is one of the breakfast items Il Piccolo Verde is quickly becoming known for.
The ambiance here is friendly and informal although the nice furniture gives the restaurant a more elegant feel. The wait staff is extremely knowledgeable about everything on the menu and are very accommodating. It was a huge pleasure to sit and relax on the patio and not rush 0r meal in such a pleasant environment. Try this place for breakfast, you will not be disappointed.
Address: 140 S Barrington Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone:(310) 472-4939
Hours: 7:00 AM – 3:00 AM (Times are correct as they have breakfast and late night options)