Brunello in Culver City

[foodiemahoodie]

It's an Italian restaurant recommended by a relative who knows nothing about food. We went there and...this is a caveat. Don't go!

It was the worst Italian food I've ever had.

No, I've had worse on a plane, or out of a can as a kid. Or frozen TV dinner.

But a retaurant? I was playing it safe - so I ordered veal parmesan. Nothing was good about it - most the meat was tough. Brutally so. The minestrone soup - I asked if this was like vegetable soup you get in Italy. Yes, I was told.

No, it's not. It's just the awful routine stuff you get in the U.S.

Anyway, awful. Had to share. To warn.

[bad nono]

I'm sorry you had one bad meal there.
I love Brunello myself, as someone says below, it's Napoli comfort food for me, too. Love their pizzas, love their pasta.
It's homey and for me it's the polar opposite to all those flashy restaurants where the noise is deafening and the food trendy and it's all about the people-watching.
I can always linger over my food at Brunello without feeling pressured to leave by the waiters, I can have a real conversation with my friends. Love their homemade bread.

Now I've never tried the veal nor their soup. But your review won't discourage me from coming back there again :-)

[Chandavkl]

Here's another mostly favorable thread on Brunello. It's one of my family's favorite Italian restaurants. Certainly it's not upscale or amazing but it's a great neighborhood restaurant.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/771272

[noahbites]

This is a pretty damning review based on minestrone soup and veal Parmesan. I've actually eaten at Brunello a decent amount over the years, and while I'm not a huge fan of their secondi, I actually enjoy their pastas and pizza a good bit. To me, it's Naples-esque Italian-American comfort food (my mom's family hails from Campania).

Here's a much larger thread about Brunello: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/555769

[Servorg]

We've always had good to very good pasta at Brunello's over our 5 or 6 visits. I can't recall ever having the veal parm before, so I don't have any direct comment about that dish.

[PaulF]

I have only been there a few times, less than you, but really liked the pasta dishes I've had.

Can't even remember what I ordered, it wasn't the veal parm, but I agree with what you've written.

Different strokes, I guess, because the OP and I agree on lots of other places ...

[foodiemahoodie]

Yeah, that's right. After bad food - do you think I should go back again? Isn't once enough?

And yes, damning based on one dish. So now you know - either you don't trust my judgement and try their veal parmesan for yourself and weigh in here. Or you do trust my judgement - and avoid ordering this dish. Enjoy the pasta and pizza.

[Servorg]

I'll just say that "once isn't enough" for me to write a place off. If I had I would have ended up passing on some places that I now love and are on our permanent rotation.