Westwood Italian Dinner

[EggJar]

We will be at the Hammer in the late afternoon and want to have a nice, not-too-pricey birthday dinner before we hit the freeway south; the b-day boy is leaning towards Italian. These names have come up on the LA board. Please contrast/compare (and further recommend if necessary):

Pastina
Tanino
La Bruscheta
Mio Babbo
Pomodoro
Sprazzo
diStefanos
Campagnola

Should we have dessert at Diddy Riese, as someone has suggested?

Thanks so much. The Child Bride.

[Emme]

Over in Brentwood, I'd recommend Divino.

[Nicole]

I like Mio Babbo. Haven't been to the other places, so I can't compare/contrast. Although diStefano's is Mio Babbo pre-name change, so that knocks one off the list! It's actually gotten better since the renaming.

[russkar]

Pastina or Palmeri

[vinosnob]

Second the rec for Pastina. Also, and I haven't been yet, but the former chef of Rocca is now helming the kitchen at Matteo's.

My first choice would be Pecorino; their menu is quite unique compared to the typical Italian fare served around town and it's delicious.

[whatsfordinner]

While it is not on the OP's list, my first choice would be Matteo's. Don Dickman (former chef at Rocca) changed the menu (taking off a lot of the red sauce Italian standbys and adding his Rocca signature dishes) and updated the wine list. While the ambiance is certainly not Rocca's, the food is. I dream about the pan roasted Maine mussels.