Birthdays are always a special occasion in our family. We don't give gifts on birthdays, we just go to an interesting place to eat. That's our thing.
This year, we decided to celebrate a birthday at Scopa Italian Restaurant. It is a great place to go for a special occasion. The food is perfect for a romantic dinner, and the atmosphere is perfect for a night out with friends.
I love that this restaurant has a female chef - Yay! Chef Antonia Lofaso cooks food that reminds us of Italian food in New York City, and while not everyone cares about that, we do because we spent a decade there!
The ingredients are fresh, and the taste is simple. The staff is lovely and so is the ambiance.
This is what we ordered:
Fried Cauliflower with lemon, chives and parmesan (antipasti)
The Rigatoni pasta with vodka sauce, chili flakes, basil and fresh ricotta
The Chitarra pasta with pecorino and black pepper
The Ravioli pasta with corn, mascarpone and parmesan, and basil
Of these four items, the Rigatoni pasta in vodka sauce was our absolute favorite!
Then came the dessert, or should I say desserts...!
The Italian flag-colored cake was a sweet surprise that our server brought out to celebrate the birthday!
The 'Spumoni' has three ice-cream flavors - Pistachio, cherry and chocolate (this is a traditional Italian dessert)
Affogato which was Espresso coffee poured over a glass of vanilla gelato
I think it is a wonderful place for a celebration. Plan to book ahead.
Tips for diners:
Is the restaurant expensive? Yes, for its portion size, it is. On Yelp, it shows up as $$$
Is the food good? Yep.
Do you need reservations? Probably. Make them via RESY.
Restaurant site: https://www.scopaitalianroots.com
Address: 2905 W. Washington Place, Venice, CA 90292
Hours:
Dinner Daily from 5pm to 10pm
Weekend Brunch (Sat. & Sun.) from 11am to 3pm
First published: 11/20
Revised 4/23
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