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Brunello Trattoria
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza
6001 Washington BlvdCulver City, CA 90232
Neighborhood: Culver City
(310) 280-3856
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual, Intimate
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
203 reviews for Brunello Trattoria
Review Highlights
-
"Excellent risotto and fresh baked bread." In 11 reviews -
"...accompanied with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette was a..." In 8 reviews -
"...tomato sauce, thin slices of filet mignon, oregano, garlic..." In 4 reviews
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203 reviews in English
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Review from Vanessa H.
Aliso Viejo, CA
An awesome neighborhood spot with an authentic feel and delicious food! Stopped here for a quick bite and although I didn't have the time to enjoy a leisurely meal, I scored with an amazing entree. I sat at the bar and had a glass of wine (prices here: http://www.yelp.com/bi...) along with their fresh bread -- oh, is this bread fresh. It was so hot I could barely eat it, and I'm sure I killed off a couple of taste buds in my gluttonous state.
The Saturday night special is a spaghetti that includes thin slices of filet mignon. Holy smokes is that filet tender and tasty and perfect. MOVE OVER, MEATBALLS. This is an awesome way to have spaghetti.
My service was excellent. Once I let them know that I was in a bit of a hurry, they rushed out the food to me and gave me the bill as soon as I asked. Can't ask for better than that! -
Review from Lisa T.
sorry but i just have to give them a low rating. i came here for a friend's graduation dinner. they reserved the back room. they were accommodating because we were the only ones there even though the place was closed.
be forewarned. i'm not a fan of Italian food. i did not order anything that had to do with Italian. so my review is based on what my experience was like and what i did try.
free bread. pretty good either that or i was really hungry. dipped it with the oil and vinegar.
had the calamari. it had like tomato sauce drenched in it. it's not the typical calamari that you may be used to. and i thought it tasted okay. the bread dipped in it tasted the best.
i got the grilled tout. the special fish of the day. no taste! bland! i squeezed two lemon wedges and kept sprinkling salt all over it and it was still so flavorless! i was not a fan! it came with broccoli and mashed potatoes. be careful if its the tout. there's bones! i felt like i had some stuck the whole time and the bones are tiny! this was market priced.
the breaded chicken was awful! i took one bite and i didn't want anymore after that.
someone who sat close to us order half a chicken and he said it tasted like the ones you can get at costco.
overall everyone else at the table seemed to have enjoyed their meal. i'm not a fan of tiramisu but this was the only place where i thought the tiramisu tasted the best.
bathroom is one stall per gender. the bathroom smells really good! like vanilla! i didn't see a parking lot. so most of the folks i knew parked on the street. which is free and we all just walked. prices were on the higher side.
services was good. staff always came and asked ppl what they wanted to drink. fast at refilling the water. i wished they had more variety. overall, the place was just a-ok. nothing too special for me. i would not come back because i'm not a fan of Italian. -
Review from Savoy T.
Woodland Hills, CA
3/17/2012
This is where I take my client Victor to for lunch. He's a regular here and he turned me onto this place. I can't say enough good things about it. The salads are incredible. I had a white bean and arugula salad with goat cheese. Fantastic. The specials are always unique, and irresistible. I got into the filet and fusilli pasta. Yeah, the bread is not to be believed. The whole place is friendly, immaculate, and has a real cool vibe that is needed in this part of Culver City.
I hope Victor continues to do business with me, if not for anything else - then for the lunches at Brunello. -
Review from Jennifer S.
Los Angeles, CA
5/13/2012
Totally overpriced and under seasoned. A disappointing meal overall. I knew I should have went to Alejo's!
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Review from Rachael J.
Chino, CA
5/1/2012
The food was perfect and decently priced. Our only complaint was that the room was incredibly noisy, we had to really yell to hear each other across a small table. But that's it, otherwise a nice place for a satisfying dinner.
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Review from Barry W.
2/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
*** Recently remodeled Italian eatery. ***
This maybe the cutest, yet contemporarily
fashioned, neighborhood restaurant ever?
I love its clean design as much as its food.
4 stars
I stopped in today for lunch craving the veal.
"Osso buco" is the actual name of this dish.
It's a veal shank covered in chunky tomato
sauce with roasted potatoes and spinach.
Veal was excellent but a flavorless sauce.
3 stars
Spinach salad I started w/ was much better.
That salad was remarkable. I have not had
a salad quite like it really. Its blue cheese
and walnuts combine to excite the palate.
5 stars
The bread served here I really like as well.
4 stars
*** I'll certainly return for another visit. ***Listed in: Top LA Eateries
-
Review from G. M.
Santa Monica, CA
1/21/2012
A delicious neighborhood place. Casual, but not too casual.
LOVE the fresh bread, like... can't stop eating it. I usually get the penne arrabiata
and add chicken. Perfecto! Owner, or manager, is always is friendly.
Service is solid, not the overly friendly waiter thing, just right though.
Fresh pasta!
I usually park on Washington, never have to walk more than a short block.
You'll like it. -
Review from J W.
Alhambra, CA
4/10/2012
Ordered the beef tenderloin panini it wasn't the type of panini I thought it was. It was simply a sandwich. It wasn't pressed or anything. Everybody loves the bread but I found it hard and dry. I saw my friend's calzone and its made of the same kind of bread; thick and dry.
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Review from Kevin F.
Hancock Park, CA
1/31/2012 Seated via OpenTable
We went here based on the many Yelp comments. Maybe they had an off night but with the exception of the soup course, the dishes were pedestrian. My seafood risotto was ok but had very little seafood, the pasta with "filet mignon" was not filet but some shoe leather round steak I think. We did enjoy a nice Barbaresco from the wine list so it was not a complete bust.
Nice try but we won't be back. Sorry -
Review from Neha P.
Culver City, CA
3/28/2012
My husband and I went to Brunello Trattoria the other night because I was craving savory Italian food, and wanted to try some place different from C&O, Alejo's and Fritto Misto. I looked on Yelp and found good reviews for Brunello Trattoria, and since it's local for us, thought to try it out.
I'm glad we did.
The food is really fresh and served in the right proportions (not giant Italian platters!). We ordered the chicken piccata, the fresh pasta special of the day (the daily selections looked great, too), and the piccolo plate of the marinated vegetables. The food was outstanding, and their fresh bread is lovely. The staff seemed to be genuinely attentive, and I got the impression that it's easy to become a regular there.
We'll definitely go back, but I'll check the menu before going, so I know what the daily pasta specials are! -
Review from Victoria V.
Los Angeles, CA
1/19/2012
Small, family owned restaurant. My favorite kind. The pasta is home made, the red sauce is delicious, and I LOVE the Tiramisu :)
Prices are super reasonable and the employees are friendly. One of my favorite little dinner spots. -
Review from Seena A.
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Only had take-out from here. Man, I really do eat a lot of take-out. Must schedule a trip to the grocery before I become poor...
Anyway, I've only had the pizza but it's always so good! They have these mini personal sized pizzas which are perfect because they're just the right size AND they prevent me from eating like a heifer. I read other reviews saying the bread really makes their food and I agree. I'm a sucker for delectable carbs. Very fresh ingredients. The restaurant is cute and the service has always been good. They deliver and always kindly. -
Review from Mike S.
Los Angeles, CA
12/6/2011
This review is for takeout only.
Got their spaghetti marinara and it was heavy on oregano.
Got their Daniele pizza and it was dry, plus lacking enough ricotta.
For a better version of this pizza, go to Caffe Carrera where it's fantastic. -
Review from Danny H.
11/19/2011
I be playing basketball with the president.
Dunking on his delegates.
Then I compliment on his political etiquette.
Toss a couple milli in the air just for the heck of it...at BRUNELLO TRATTORIA! - Megan Nicole (billionaire cover)
This is a wonderful family run restaurant. The menu has pizza and pasta dishes available everyday but they also have three specials for each day of the week and i thought it was a cute way to keep the customers coming back for more. I ordered the rigatoni with mussels and zucchini and it was great because you could tell by the size of the pasta that it was hand rolled. I appreciate that kind of effort in the food and the complimentary bread was really good too. For the non-alcoholic beverage drinkers out there, try the sprite + pink lemonade!
Food: 5 stars --- Service: 5 stars --- Atmosphere: 4 stars --- Price (value): 4.5 stars -
Review from Carissa E.
Glendale, CA
11/29/2011 Seated via OpenTable
I read great reviews about this place so I decided to try it out for my sister's goodbye dinner. It's not what I expected, though I wanted the family Italian meal, the place was empty. It just me, my mom, and my sister.
The dishes seemed ordinary, not extraordinary. Pizza was good, but nothing outstanding. I got the anchovie pizza, it was descent, but not the best. The dessert menu was not exciting as well. -
Review from Russell B.
Fontana, CA
12/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not wanting to deal with the crowds at the more popular spots in Culver City, we decided to stop by this place for a quiet relaxed dinner. Compared to downtown Culver City, the neighborhood was virtually deserted the night we were here. Thankfully things were busier inside with nearly all tables occupied. Fortunately a table was vacated soon after we arrived.
We first opted to order a simple bottle of wine for our table of 4, which was a easy drinking rosso di montalcino for $45. We were all pretty hungry, so when their tasty bread arrived we were grateful. I decided on getting the fettucine bolognese and the wife went for the orecchiette with sausage. My bolognese was pretty good with lots of meat, not too saucy, good flavor, and a decent but not overwhelming portion. The wife's was pretty tasty, but the salt level was way too high and made it difficult to eat much of it. Maybe the sauce just reduced too much over the night and we got the last bit of it. A simple mistake that really could've saved the dish if it was recognized by the kitchen.
The service was pretty good. Not great, but good. The other tables seemed to start clearing out as soon as we arrived and I think there may have only been one or two remaining by the time we left around 9:30. Kind of odd for a Friday night, but the quiet and lack of push to get us out the door at least allowed us to chat over dinner with our friends. Overall nothing spectacular, but just good, straightforward italian food. Since I don't live in the area, I probably wouldn't be seeking to come back, but if this was in my area I could see this as my fallback italian place with a bill around $60 for two of us. -
Review from Aaron F.
10/24/2011
What a great family run restaurant!
I had a reservation for 6 and once we walked in here, the place looked quite deserted. Among the lack of patrons, you notice a bar in the middle of the place. Then in the back they have the kitchen. I think if you work it right, which they did, you can smell all the great scents coming from it.
For starts they bring out a fresh baked homemade bread. It comes out in oval shape so you can tear off a piece from every angle. I would have liked a nice side of olive oil or something to dip it in but nothing came with it.
As we were reading the menu, everyone noticed the large selection of pasta's to choose from. On top of that, our server told us literally 5 different specials they had that day. One thing I do not recall ever seeing in an Italian restaurant or any for that matter was special pastas made for certain days.
For my dinner choice I went for the Sunday special pasta which was,"Penne Salerno that came with tomato sauce, ground sausage and smoked cheese."
My meal was really good and tasty but I was not fond of the size of it. For $11.00 I was expecting a little bit of a bigger portion. The sauce was delicious and light, not too much over my pasta. Once in awhile some places like to drown your pasta in the sauce, not here.
Throughout the entire meal, my party was naming all the scents coming from the kitchen, especially garlic! Actually you can't even tell they are cooking your meal since it is very quiet back there.
Service was outstanding and look forward to returning. -
Review from Keila R.
Cerritos, CA
2/27/2012 Seated via OpenTable
The host greeted me as soon as I entered. Plus. He was very nice, let me change where I wanted to sit and explained some of the menu items as well as their special for that day. But unfortunately one of my forks had a big speck of parmesan on it. I should have told him but I was so engulfed in my conversation I just used another fork lol. The food was good, a little greasy and nothing outstanding; I ordered the asparagus, chicken pasta instead of tomato sauce they substituted it for a white wine sauce which was nice. Would have been nicer if I could taste the sauce too. Oh well. So I asked for a to-go box and the shit was so greasy the whole bottom of my bag was covered in grease. I love Grease.....the movie. Food just isn't up to par so I wouldn't come back again.
-
Review from Bryant H.
Los Angeles, CA
3/2/2012 Seated via OpenTable
I took my wife here for Valentine's Day and it was a truly wonderful time. I didn't want to get swamped in the crowd at C&O in Venice, so this seemed like a great alternative.
The free bread was hot, crispy, fresh, and ciabatta-like, and with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, it was a great way to start the meal. We could've eaten just the bread and been satisfied! She ordered the quattro stagioni pizza, which featured four different flavors, each of which were truly delicious. I ordered the eggplant penne with dry ricotta, which was so good that my wife decided she preferred mine instead. :) I never had dry ricotta before, which was a great match for the pasta.
This was one of the few places we've gone to recently that really impressed us service-wise. They were very friendly and attentive, without being pushy or rude. I walked out of the restaurant saying, "Wow, their service truly was impressive!"
A nice touch was that at the end of the meal, since it was Valentine's Day, they gave my wife a long-stem rose. I appreciated that they didn't force us to order from the Valentine's Day menu since we wanted something cheaper. Price-wise, it's slightly cheaper than other alternatives in the area (like Novecento), which surprised me since the decor inside looked like a more upscale restaurant.
Parking wasn't hard, we parked just a block away on the residential street next to the restaurant.
Superb overall experience. We would definitely go back again! -
Review from Shane S.
Los Angeles, CA
11/25/2011
Service and bread amazing.
Meat sauce dish, good.
Lighting needs to be addressed--blah, and kept glancing up at TV.
Music is ok. -
Review from Will M.
12/8/2011
I travel a lot and found this place by accident for a lunch. I was impressed by the Salad that I ordered and intended to go back here for dinner. I hit the dinner menu and have been going back every Monday night since. The Chicken Parm is great and this week I went back on Tuesday with a collegue and had the fish special, Cod which was great. They know me now which adds a special touch..
Great place for any kind of group located near La Cieniga and the10, worth going the extra mile for. BTW they have take out but why not get it fresh as can be, and because iot is moderately busy everything is quick. Great place and I will surely be back while I am working in the area (end of Feb 2012) -
Review from Emily C.
West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very quaint, cute restaurant that is great for groups or a romantic date. Very reasonably priced and you are able to bring your own wine for a corkage fee of $10.
I had the risotto and it was perfect! My boyfriend had the fish special (trout) and enjoyed every bite. I had a hard time deciding between the risotto and the vegetable lasagna. I cant wait to go back to try the lasagna.
Also, the staff is warm and friendly.
What a great little gem! -
Review from Betty R.
Culver City, CA
2/9/2012
What a pleasant surprise. They have dishes that I have never heard of. Combinations that I never imagined. Going back!
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Review from Louie P.
Los Angeles, CA
12/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like waitress Olga since she explain thoroughly what we should look for and expect each dish on the menu. While us waiting for our food Olga keeps us continuous supply of herb bread and butter. I was order Pasta Napoleonte and it was taste delicious. The staff was friendly and warm.
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Review from Jessica B.
Culver City, CA
7/1/2011
Since this place is one block from where I live, I decided it'd be a good place to try on a whim. Cute decor, great service and decent food. Corkage fee is only $10 which was nice.
After reading the reviews about the great bread I was very excited to try it. I'd say the bread was alright. Nothing that blew my socks off, that's for sure. Ordered the "special salad" of arugula, burrata cheese, hearts of palm and balsalmic dressing, Very tasty. My entree was the Wednesday special manicotti. A little bland in the flavor department but piping hot which always makes me happy. Had it the next day for lunch and the leftovers were better than the first time around.
Ended the meal with the cheesecake. Poor choice. Dry and unexciting. Order something else for dessert.
Overall, I'll go to this place again but I'll order different items. :) -
Review from Christina S.
Costa Mesa, CA
3/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here after a show at Thinkspace Gallery. Kudos to this place staying open so late and for the $10 corkage fee! We were a party of six with several nice bottles of wine!! We skipped appetizers because we were warned that they serve large portions. I ordered the special salad with papaya and a cheese in which i forgot the name and as an entree the shrimp risotto. Now the salad was insanely large so I shared it with my friends. Which we all agreed was amazing. I wasn't too keen on my entree. I ended up switching it with my friend who had a spaghetti dish and seemed to enjoy my dish. I love friends who don't mind dish swapping! Anyhoo.. The food was good.... The cheesecake was a little dry but still was good.
Ambiance.... Well, it's cute in here.. Easy on the lights which gives it that "romantic" vibe so it's decent to bring a date here... Priced reasonably so it will not break your pocket book...
Did I mention service being good? -
Review from ayron a.
Los Angeles, CA
2/28/2011
I came here two times this weekend! Friday night I ordered to go here and was in love with my pasta. I got the Friday special (excuse me for forgetting the name) but it was linguine in a lemon garlic sauce with a plethora of clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp! Yumola!
It was so good, that Sunday I took my daughter there and we dined inside! Shes 5 so she didn't get the veal...lol But her sausage pizza was tasty! They made me something that wasn't on the menu. Nothing too fancy but linguine with Alfredo sauce and chicken with shrimp! I can't wait to go back to try something else.
The customer service was fantastic and the cozy atmosphere really gave this place stellar marks! I will be back! Once the pasta from this weekend makes its way from my tummy! -
Review from Thomas C.
3/31/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This is a gem! A friend who lives in the area said she's been to every restaurant but I was able to stump her with this place (thanks yelp/yelpers!). We ordered a special that included scallop/shrimp/shrimp in a white sauce w/ spaghetti and another with giant penne in lobster meat sauce (forgot the name but pictured on yelp, in addition to the bread they served. SO GOOD and glad that I just found one of the better places for Italian in LA. With great service, decent prices, and good quality of food what else can you ask for?
will def be back! -
Review from Stephen C.
New York, NY
6/11/2011
Pasta is real nice,
Good quality! But one deet:
Strip malls depress me. -
Review from Jim E.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
10/29/2011
It's really hard to find good Italian food in Los Angeles, and you won't find any here! Maybe the pizza is ok? I don't know.
The food was bland, flavorless, and boring. I'm sure the owners will claim they use fresh ingredients, but there was nothing remotely delicious about this meal. It was edible - that's it.
I ordered the chicken parmigiana. The sauce tasted like it came out of a can and was more sugary than tomato-y. There were two pieces of chicken meat that were virtually identical in size, shape, and thickness (both were about the size of my hand and about 1/4" thick). Both were flavorless. It would not surprise me if they were frozen and breaded poultry mystery meat. Based on taste, the patties could have been made out anything.
In addition to the chicken parmigiana, I had one Heineken. With tax and tip my meal cost me $25.
This meal wasn't worth $25. For that amount of money, it was actually a pretty lousy meal. It's not hard to find much better food in that price range, and so mediocre to bleh, just doesn't cut it.
And yeah - they do have fresh bread that they give you with olive oil after you order. The bread seems to be the thing everyone says they like about this place. It's good - but it's not worth $25! -
Review from Aaron M.
Inglewood, CA
3/12/2012
Excellent food and service. Great place for dinner. Glad we tried it.
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Review from Mimi C.
12/17/2010
3.5 stars rounded up. I totally agree with some of the reviews stating that this place has a warm, friendly and cozy atmosphere and for the most part, the food is pretty good too.
For the price range ($10-$15/ entree), Brunello Trattoria delivers what's expected. I enjoyed their herb bread very much, so much so that I requested seconds. Their menu is simple and they have specials for each day.
The Lobster Risotto was the (extra) special of the day. I found it very full flavored, creamy and delicious. All their shelled items were hard to eat *used my hands* but overall good. Pizzas are personal sized, their fish and veal were not bad but not really unique. The seafood gnnochi was pretty good.
Overall, Brunello's is a good restaurant with good cheer and food. It's not homemade stuff and their menu the most unique, but it's a great place to be cozy and easy a meal with friends. =)
p.s.- I liked that they didn't charge for cake cutting! =) -
Review from Stephanie L.
San Diego, CA
I love Italian food! and I love family owned Italian restaurants that have perfectly cooked al dente pasta, which is harder to find than you think!
Came here with a party of 6 and the great thing about Brunello's (other than their free bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar) is that they take reservations!
I had the Spaghetti alla Pizzaiola ($14.50): spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, thin slices of filet mignon, oregano, garlic and oil. My pasta came out steaming hot and smelled wonderful! The tomato sauce was definitely fresh, and taste like they just crushed a ton of tomatoes, basil and garlic and cooked it with olive oil--you won't get that jarred marinara sauce here! I would have liked a little more slices of filet mignon but for the price and the taste of the dish as a whole, I was very satisfied.
My sister had their Spaghetti Aglio e Olio ($10.50): Spaghetti with garlic, hot pepper, parsley and olive oil. This is a very simple dish but I swear you can eat endless amounts of it. The texture of the pasta really comes out in the simplicity of the sauce and ohmygoodness, it was G-O-O-D! What's also great is that you can ask the waitress to add veggies to the dish (I've asked for asparagus with it before).
Great service overall, the staff took their time in explaining the various dishes they had, shared family restaurant stories and even taught me how to pronounce the name of my dish (I butchered the name when I first tried to say it!).
Street parking is the only downside.
And as a side note, Brunello's has red chili pepper flakes for people who order pizza and it is HOT...like watery-eyes-make-a-grown-man-cry-SPICY (My sister's boyfriend is actually a perfect example of this. hilarious, btw. if you're reading this--hi, chris!) so be careful with how much you sprinkle on your delicious pizza!
Overall, good food, good service, good company, GOOD TIMES!! -
Review from shawn v.
Los Angeles, CA
This place is amazing just from their freshly baked bread as a compliment starter, that comes warm to the table with quality olive oil & baslamic.
They have fresh pasta, seasonal daily specials, nice wine selection, service top notch. Ohh, the pizza! All around great people that serve serious Italian. I've eaten here so many times, I should be mayor on Foursquare by now, but just recently joined.
Saturday nights can be really busy, be sure to reserve ahead.
They are in the heart of the Culver City Arts District. Check out some shows, and stop in for dinner, dessert or coffee. -
Review from Milo J.
Philadelphia, PA
11/21/2010
Okay, it's about that time.
Time to bust a rhyme? No.
Time to kill a mime? Maybe.
No, time for spaghetti, dammit!
After forgoing my usual spot (and unclear why I haven't reviewed it yet) Milo stumbled upon Brunello Trattoria with one of his "Gang of Zephyr" Posse.
Cosmetically, I really liked this place; the server was excellent! Very helpful, great personality, and just plain nice, which is always welcome in my (and hopefully everyone's) book.
Let's start with the bread - very good. Being from the East Coast, I am used to, well, REAL bread, but the bread served at Brunello's was fine - hot and plentiful, just like Milo's stable. Usually I go overboard on the butter, but the olive oil/pepper/balsamic vinegar was just hunky dory and did the trick.
I ordered the capellini in arrabbiata sauce with meatballs, and it was very hit and miss. The pasta was served in a bowl and was very well drained (I detest water at the bottom!) and the sauce was very spicy but didn't have much of a body to it. Also, the meatballs were not good at all and I have to recommend you do not order them. They simply did not taste fresh and had almost a burnt taste to them; not enough to send them back, but enough to pass on them the next time. Also, they were extremely hot in the sense that they had been reheated before serving.
The overdose of carbs were more than enough and did not leave room for dessert, so a review of those selections are not available at this time; however, I would definitely return to Brunello's for another chance. This is a nice little restaurant inside in a good area and perfect for a date and its dishes were more than reasonably priced. The water glasses were never empty and, as mentioned, the bread was non-stop as well. With that kind of service, don't you think they deserve a second chance?
I do. -
Review from Lynn F.
Redondo Beach, CA
12/6/2011
The big draw for me is the relaxed and intimate atmosphere. Perfect for a date when you want to have a private conversation.
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Review from Mary Q.
2/23/2011
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's Day and it was just the perfect atmosphere for a quiet, intimate evening. They offer a fantastic bread that sort of reminds me of a type of pita bread I had before. It's soft and fluffy and you dip it in oil and vinegar for a delicious start to the meal. Oftentimes, it's the bread that makes or breaks it for me and this is the kind of unique bread that I've been dreaming about going back for.
I got a salad - the "Insalata alla Polpa di Granchio: Crab meat with baby mixed lettuces with lemon dressing and garlic." It was exactly what I needed, with tasty morsels of crab meat sprinkled over the tasty salad bed. Between that and the bread, I was set. I could eat that stuff all day. This is the first time I've ever had crab in a salad and I'm thinking of attempting a homemade version if I can't make it out to Culver City the next time I get a craving for it.
I didn't try the desserts, but the couple next to us previewed them and the entire tray looked good. I'll definitely have to take a closer look next time! -
Review from Janet T.
10/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Went here to celebrate a coworkers bday last week and was surprise to see this authentic italian restaurant hiding amongst all of the furniture stores in Culver City. I'm not sure how long it's been here but I've never heard of it until we arrived. We arrived at noon and was surprised to see the restaurant a little empty but figured we'd see the lunch rush soon enough.The decor was nice, and made you feel like you were in a italian villa or somewhere in tuscany. The service was very attentive and took really good care of us. The fresh baked bread was plentiful and was refilled everytime we were low.
I ordered the spaghetti bolognese which was ok. There was definitely too much noodles and not enough sauce. They were a little skimpy on the sauce which was a shame since the whole dish revolved around the meat sauce. Needless to say, I had to wash down the noodles w/ water every time I took a bite to ensure it wasn't lodged in my throat. Other than my meal, the place looked pretty authentic and it also helped the authenticity by the owner having a heavy italian accent. -
Review from Andrea T.
Napa, CA
4/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Got the spinach and goat cheese salad. The dressing had too much vinegar for my liking.
The service was good and the waiter friendly. The place was busy and it's a popular spot.
I had the lobster/pasta dish and it was overdone with the cream sauce and just a few pieces of lobster.
For me it was just ok...I've had better. -
Review from Antonia C.
Los Angeles, CA
5/19/2011 1 photo
I really wanted to like this place. We just ordered delivery. Food came faster than the quoted hour and a half. (we ordered at 8pm on a Sunday) food was warm and the portions were big.
Antipasta de la casa= very oily soggy vegetables. We ate a bite of each type of veggie to try it but ended up throwing the tray of stuff away.
Chicken parmesan according to my hubby was different, so so.
I had the lasagna. Sauce was mild, meat was in one layer in little balls. Ricotta was almost not present, same with the mozzarella. It was basically sauce with noodles.
Overall for the price were disappointed.
Because we ordered delivery I gave an extra star. Maybe we'll visit the restaurant sometime and give it another try, since there are so many positive reviews here.
