My Dinner in The Valley

In case you didn't already know, I like to eat at restaurants. A lot. I especially like trying new places I have never been. Last night, a friend and I enjoyed one of the best meals I have had in quite some time at a fantastic little Italian place in the valley called La Pergola. I know what you are thinking - But Morgan, why would you EVER want to go to the valley? Weren't you scared of stumbling into the middle of a porn shoot?

But in all seriousness, La Pergola is easily top 3 restaurants in LA for me now. I loved the atmosphere. The wood beams coupled with the pottery put me right at ease as soon as I walked through the door. We actually entered through the back door by the kitchen which made me feel like a regular right from the start. I think I am going to try to enter through the back door of restaurants from now on.



When we first sat down at our table it was actually freezing cold with a draft. We asked our waiter if we could change to a table that might not be quite as drafty. I thought his GIANT moustaches may have clogged his hearing though because he never really acknowledged our request. However, this was not the case. After a couple of minutes, I realized that the air conditioning had been turned off and it was no longer cold where we were sitting. That is what I call service.

When I looked at the menu, the first item that jumped out at me was the stuffed mushrooms. Because of my infatuation with the stuffed mushrooms at Mastro's I ordered them for comparison. This ended up being a great choice. While not quite as large and tasty as the stuffed mushrooms from Mastro's, they were still very tasty. Two thumbs up for sure. For the main course I decided on the handmade gnocchi and my friend chose the chicken breast in a lemony sauce topped with artichoke. I thought the chicken was excellent. Very tender and very flavorful. However, the chicken was dwarfed by the greatness of the gnocchi. It was like a party in my mouth. What really set the gnocchi apart was the fact that they were made with fresh vegetables grown in the the La Pergola private garden. It will be difficult for me to try something new on the menu next time I dine there.



So next time you are in the valley and have some down time between porn shoots, I recommend trying out La Pergola. You won't regret the decision.