Comments on: Road Trip – DRAGO CENTRO

By: rjwong

rjwong — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 07:32:13 +0000

I just had dinner tonight over at Drago Centro. Bene, bene, grazie.

la zuppa (farro, spring vegetables)
i rigatoni all’amatriciana (rigatoni, smoked pork jowl, onions, tomatoes, pecorino)
la lombatina di vitella (grilled veal, sweetbreads, green lentil ragout)
glass of Barbaresco
la coppa d’agrumi (layered citrus segments, zabagalione, mascarpone gelato) for dessert.

I was so excited to have the rigatoni. Not penne, not penne rigate, but rigatoni!

Head sommelier Michael Shearin did a great job tonight. He’s happy to be working in Los Angeles and so am I.

And you’re right, John. The prices were quite affordable.

By: Dean

Dean — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 05:35:44 +0000

Hey John, you see this??

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sommelier4-2009mar04,0,481881.story?track=rss

By: Joe Isidori

Joe Isidori — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:43:06 +0000

Congrats Mike!!!…I am proud to have worked with you at DJT!…I hope to make it to LA soon…It is chilliy here in NYC!….John, Thx for the update on MS.

By: John Curtas

John Curtas — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:47:30 +0000

ELV will testify under oath that Michael Shearin only acts goofy when called upon to do so by like-minded customers….such as ELV.

By: MS

MS — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:11:42 +0000

ELV, Thank you for making it clear that I am not as goofy as I look in that picture….I knew you would post that picture !!!

By: bwdining

bwdining — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:08:00 +0000

Having not been to DC, I cannot speak to the merit of the bulk of this review. However, since I am still full (we probably tried half of the menu) from a wonderful dinner last night at Stratta, I must insist ELV try harder next time to not confuse his readers. Stratta has much better food than ELV’s favorite-at-Encore Sinatra, and, while not cheap, is not near the expense (and at the taste of Wynn 3 course prix-fixe price of $45 going on now it’s a fair bargain). In my wildest dreams I cannot figure how a palette as educated and well-traveled as yours could get these two reversed. On another note, the food at DC does look excellent.

By: Burgerking

Burgerking — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:32:30 +0000

Great to hear that Michael Shearin is doing well in LA!

By: Ken

Ken — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:57:24 +0000

I haven’t made it to LA to visit Drago Centro but am very excited to in the future. I know Michael Shearin very well from his work at Guy Savoy and DJT and always found his pairings both thoughtful and spot-on. I’m happy to hear, from a second source now, that the food is also outstanding and moderately priced – two things that really should be the standard and not the exception.

By: Herb Leibowitz

Herb Leibowitz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:20:54 +0000

I have really enjoyed my dinning experiences to Drago Centro and recommend the restaurant highly.
Michael Shearin uses a felicitous amount of levity and razor sharp acumen as he guides guests through his wine list. He is a master of his craft an a true professional!

By: rjwong

rjwong — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:43:30 +0000

ELV, I’m glad that you noticed first-hand why I’m so hopeful about the rebirth of downtown Los Angeles. I’m also glad that you finally wrote something nice about LA for a change. Yes, John, Los Angeles does have a few good restaurants!

If I knew beforehand that you and The Food Gal were coming through my ‘hood, I would have shown you other places, including that almond cookie factory in Chinatown.

I haven’t tried Drago Centro yet. I’ll have to add that to my list.