Having lived in LA for over 2 years now, it recently dawned on me that I’ve never had a Beverly Hills night. I am a colossal fan of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”, so I’m surprised it’s taken me so long to finally walk around there. The moment you hit Rodeo Drive, you instantly feel wealthier. Your lips feel injected. Your nails are magically manicured. You smell like Moroccan Oil. Your Target handbag turned into a Chanel. It’s quite amazing.

My boyfriend and I walked by the legendary Spago, but noticed Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge right next door to it. We were lured in by the acoustic guitar we could hear from inside. Good music and good food always go hand in hand.

Spaghettini & the Dave Koz Lounge

184 N Canon Dr

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 424-4600

spaghettinibh.com

The interior is what you’d expect from a spot in Beverly Hills. It’s elegant, has precisely thought out seating and the tables are covered with a white cloth. The lighting was perfect, moody but not too dark. The musician’s volume was prominent but didn’t overwhelm our conversation.

The waiter recommended we share 5-6 dishes as the portions are similar to tapas. I’m a little skeptical of servers telling me this, it seems like a good way to get customers to spend more money. However, he ended up being right. The portions are small but powerful and keep you wanting to try more. The dishes are also reasonably priced, so it’s not tough on the wallet to order up.

I ordered the Lose Cannon cocktail, which is made with Bulleit bourbon, black walnut bitters, smokey brown sugar syrup and garnished with a candied walnut. This cocktail was great, but I wouldn’t say it went with my dishes well. It almost felt like a stand alone dessert to me. We focused on seafood, so I should’ve ordered a white wine, or taken a cue from my boyfriend who ordered the Tango & Cash. The Tango & Cash (sorry, not pictured) is made with Cynar, Templeton Rye whiskey, mint, lemon and cane syrup. I had a sip and it’s a lighter drink, a little fruity. That would’ve been a better match. I’ll get it right next time!

This is beating Superba on Rose Ave’s Carbonara for sure. The pasta was al dente and it reminded me of German Spaeztle. It’s more like a little dumpling than a noodle. The carbonara sauce had that classic egg and cream base mixed with cooked proscuitto, parmesan and fresh cracked pepper.  It’s such a great dish, I had to keep myself from licking the plate.

I love these Main scallops. They’re bigger, juicer and sweeter than Bay scallops. It came with English peas, pea shoots, mushrooms and a meyer lemon infused broth. The broth this dish came with was good enough to bathe in. This dish is a must.

Their salmon comes with cumin yogurt topped with saffron and orange sauce. The salmon fillet was plump and flavorful. The citrus flavor works beautifully with the yogurt and provides a delicate zest. In case you haven’t realized, Spaghettini has mastered the art of sauce. They can’t seem to go wrong with any of the sauces.

You can’t go to Spaghettini without trying their signature pasta dish. Their Spaghettini is angel hair pasta with Dungeness crab (I realize, my picture doesn’t do it justice), shrimp, salmon caviar and saffron. Once again, Spaghettini’s sauce is perfection.

For me to say this was the weakest dish is still a gigantic compliment. The minced beef meatball was rich, spoiler alert, the tomato sauce was great. Ultimately, it’s easy for this item to get lost among the others.

This dessert is delightful. The custard is a lot more whipped and softer than predicted it would be. There are small dollops of a cilantro flavor and the blueberry compote provided the right amount of sweetness. It’s the kind of dessert that doesn’t leave you feeling overly stuffed after, which restaurants need more of.

I recommend this spot to all of our readers who want to try fantastic Italian food in Beverly Hills, while being entertained. Even if your budget is a little tight, they do have a happy hour, see the website for details.