Braised Short Ribs w/ Vegetable & Farro Risotto

DineLA Restaurant Week is a great time to try some of the city’s best restaurants at a discounted prix fixe price. So when we saw that Scott Conant’s Scarpetta in Beverly Hills would be participating, a friend of mine and I made no hesitation on heading over for a swanky lunch date.

Scarpetta is located within the beautiful Montage Hotel on a delicious stretch of Canon Drive; just across the courtyard from Bouchon and across the street from the world-famous Spago. Our three-course lunch was in the higher-end tier of dineLA’s lunch menus, but was still quite a steal at $28 each. I couldn’t resist ordering a glass of wine from a well-curated list, so I opted for a glass of lambrusco which was beautifully deep, slightly dry, with a touch of barnyard and bubbles. Every aspect of the meal from the bread service to the ambiance was A+ in our books.

The meal began with a lovely bread service featuring a sampling of ciabatta, rosemary focaccia, and prosciutto Stromboli served with really good olive oil, butter, and a sun-dried tomato tapenade. I opted for the braised short rib appetizer (pictured above), while my friend went with their luxurious creamy polenta with wild mushrooms.

We both went with the wild king salmon entree which was beautifully presented over a bed of mushrooms and farro and a butternut squash puree. The fish was so tender and fresh, yet the skin was incredibly crisp.

Wild King Salmon

For dessert, I went with their rich caramel-vanilla budino which was smooth and velvety contrasted with a great crunch and chocolate sable cookies and she went for something lighter; a refreshing coconut panna cotta served with a guava soup and caramelized pineapple.

Whether you visit during the next dineLA Restaurant Week or you head over for a lavish dinner, Scarpetta offers a refined Italian-inspired menu that will sure to please.

Scarpetta is located at 225 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills.