One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
DineLA 2009: Campanile
Compared to the crowd at Simon LA the night before, Campanile was packed. After a short wait in the bar we were seated in an overflow room upstairs. Compared to the high ceilings and open space of the main dining hall, the room was cozy and uncluttered. In spite of the age of the historic building, there is a pristine cleanliness about everything. Even the butter that arrives with the famous La Brea Bakery bread is clean and fresh, sprinkled with a delicate touch of salt.
The DineLA menu is immediately offered and explained, as it was at Simon. The server also explained the Monday night family dinners. Last Monday was charcuterie, which sounded so appealing we will definitely return on a Monday night. The DineLA menu offered a choice between two appetizers, three mains and one dessert. There were options for vegetarians included on the menu, which has not been true of all of the participating restaurants.
Every single thing we ate was divine, made with quality ingredients and perfectly executed. If there is anything at all to complain about, it is that when seated in an overflow room the servers don't pass by as often so my sparkling water did not arrive for about 15 or 20 minutes. However, they made up for the oversight by comping the bottle of water. We also left a little hungry. The lamb dish was a big, hearty serving, but the ravioli seemed like more like a starter. Unsurprisingly, it is one of the best meals we have eaten this week. Campanile is not resting on its laurels, but is still working like hell to remain one of Los Angeles' best restaurants.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
