Colori Kitchen

 
Cozy, non-pretentious atmosphere; delicious, reasonably-priced food. And what is that?  No corkage fee?!  Colori, I may have fallen in love.

As part of their summer special menu, they offered a Calamari Salad that really made me look at calamari differently.  Typically, when we think of calamari, we need of little round pieces of squid, batter-coated, deep-fried, and dipped in marinara sauce.  The calamari at Colori is (1) grilled not deep-fried; (2) very tender and flavorful (but not in that fishy sort of way); and (3) it compliments so well with a squeeze of lemon and arugula.  I was iffy about getting it at first, but I'm so glad that we did.

Like most restaurants, complimentary with every meal is bread and butter.  But like the calamari, the butter here is unconventional.  The butter has a hint of herbs and garlic and has a consistency akin to hummus.  It was delicious.

For the main course, pasta is the way to go.

Ravioli di zucca - $15

Pumpkin ravioli is rich and dense and wonderful in every day.  The walnut cream sauce really accentuates the sweetness of the pumpkin.  I highly recommend getting this, but also sharing it because by ravioli #4, you'll be quite full.

Spaghetti Carbonara - $15

The spaghetti carbonara is also very good with their homemade carbonara sauce and bits of bacon.  Another great sharing dish.


J and I passed on dessert, but there are some good options on the dessert menu too.


If you're downtown and you're looking for a solid Italian place to eat, Colori is your place!




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cuisine: Italian
location: Downtown LA
websites: { CK | yelp }
attire: Casual
parking: street or nearby lots ($3 after 6pm)
notes: BYOB!