olivetto

olivetto cafe and wine bar opened recently in the new mission hills commons development on washington. we stopped in last night for a late dinner and found it still full at nearly 9 pm. Warm woods abound at the bar and tables, with nary a tablecloth in sight, lending the place a real neighborhood feel. There's nothing casual about the service however, which was among the best in recent memory, with our very friendly server and his supporting staff checking in frequently. My seafood pasta included some heavy duty shrimp and tasty sauce, and my beet salad was quite good, including the goat cheese "wafer" that accompanied the latter. The calamari could have used a bit more flavor, and we'll have to sample the extensive wine list next time. Great atmosphere and fantastic service at this new neighborhood hangout - too bad it's the only restaurant in the new development for now, since the structure on goldfinch that will contain philippe beltran's papa nanou is still under construction.