Ristorante Peppone

Ristorante Peppone Restaurant Review:

Chic trattorias come and go along Brentwood's San Vicente Boulevard, but tucked away up the hill is Peppone, which has maintained a loyal following for many years. A throwback to another era, the wood-clad dining room is filled with red leather booths and linen-topped tables illuminated by candles and Tiffany-style lamps. Hardly trendy, it attracts a colorful clientele --- and is a good place, thanks to its very dim lighting, to dine if you don't want to be seen (which pleases a number of celebrity customers). Owner Gianni Paoletti, the original chef at Valentino and former partner of Piero Selvaggio, offers a menu that includes traditional recipes --- many prepared tableside --- of linguine vongole, gnocchi in a variety of sauces, and manicotti. Veal Marsala, osso buco, cioppino, lobster and Venetian-style calf's liver are also offered on the extensive menu, and Paoletti regularly entertains special requests. Desserts include cannoli, tiramisu and NY cheesecake. Of particular note is the restaurant's wine list, which offers many older vintages from Italy, France and California, often at reasonable prices (in fact, we wish the same pricing philosophy was applied to the entrées).