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Ca' Del Sole: The Closest Thing to Dining in Italy
Always a bit mysterious behind high walls, Ca' Del Sole, Rodofo Costella's authentic Venetian country inn and 17 year-old mainstay in Toluca Lake has always been held in high esteem. The new menu and spiffed up garden patio are reason enough to find out why now.
And oh, what is inside the walls! Rustic and spacious, the grounds are so generous space it could only be in the valley. It is possibly the most Italian dining experience outside Italy. A smile best describes the inviting redecorated, garden patio that wraps around the building with an enveloping Mediterranean atmosphere. It's perfect for two, four, the parties of 12 we watched celebrating birthdays or a wedding for 500 since the back French doors of main dining rooms open onto the patio.
Perky pots of geraniums meet the eye on the beached out mustard color walls. Look up and flame and purple and coral-color bougainvillea peek out through tall palm trees and green bushes with scattered mini white twinkle lights bunched together like grapes. Brick groundwork. New cabanas with white cloth fluttering down or tied back lend a rustic private but festive air. Even the round tables are a pleasure, an invitation for everyone to see and share with each other.
Our server Jorge, has been with Costella from pre-Ca' Del Sole days when they both were at the legendary Chianti. He and other servers move with effortless efficiency through the place. It takes only a look up before one comes over to attend to a table's need. This is Italian service.
German-born, French-trained Executive Chef Soerke Peters has worked all over Europe, winning awards, before coming to America where he was immediately snapped up by famed northern Italian restaurateur Pino Luongo for Coco Pazzo in New York. Lucky for us, Chef Peters loved our Mediterranean climate and moved here. He also loves the local sources that are perfect for "the simplicity and careful approach to ingredients in Italian cooking."
Costella complements this thought by "providing good value, along with consistent food quality." "The Deal" on the Speciali menu - Three Courses for $26 or Four Courses for $33, and wines are suggested with each generous dish. Dishes are also available individually. There is also a novel wine menu listing inexpensive but substantial tasting portions, in addition to wines by the glass and bottle so we could sample both a white and red.
We chose the Flori di Zucca for our first course, crispy, flash-fried zucchini flowers, crusted to retain their sunny color, filled with ricotta, on a generous bed of heirloom tomatoes with basil strips ($10 as compared to another trendy restaurant's price of $23).
For our second course, Carbonara Spaghetti ($12) crispy pancetta, egg yolk, parmesan, parsley, black pepper was the familiar "bacon and eggs" on pasta but still, northern style, was light. This would actually have made a small meal but the Costolette di Manzo ($20) was too tempting, Braised beef short ribs that could indeed be cut with a fork, as Jorge had promised with mashed potatoes and baby carrots. Dessert was Uva & Grappa ($7), Fresh grapes, grape sorbet and grappa, for a refreshing and unique finish.
We tried two other traditional dishes from the menu. The slices of Salumeria ($11) are laid out like a picture on a plate. On it are House-made salami, mortadella, , bresaola, Pio Tosini prosciutto (made elsewhere and aged 24 months), a slab of duck liver pâté a little pot of three-grain mustard and fat olives. The traditional grilled meat plate ($22) is a meat-lover's dream with grilled lamb chop, chicken leg, beef and vegetables.
Other dishes caught our eye as they paraded toward other tables: the regal Salmone Baked organic king salmon ($18) and a sumptuous roasted Acorn squash, asparagus, leeks and the mezzelune pumpkin ravioli, with butter, sage and parmesan cheese.
We passed through the main dining rooms on the way out with crisp linen tablecloths on large tables under indirect, flattering lighting for plain old-fashioned luxury. And were tempted to stop in the cozy little bar/cocktail lounge near the front door to finish the evening with one of the Armanac's in the case outside.
By Gerry Furth-Sides
…as the name promised, the kitchen turns out eminently sunny cuisine…Colleen Dune Bates, Bon Appetit
Comfortable Italian eatery with first-rate pastas, good value and a worthy wine list. This Italian eatery, a timeless East Valley staple, offers a series of rustic dining rooms with spacious booths, a double-sided fireplace and a warm, cozy ambience. Weather permitting, however, head for the lovely patio---the flowered, shaded space feels so much like an Italian country garden… The kitchen also does a topnotch job with osso buco and simply prepared whole fish. Save room for the homemade gelato, tiramisu or affogato. The moderately priced wine list offers intriguing choices from throughout Italy and beyond.
Ca' del Sole is the Valley sister of Locanda Veneta and Ca' Brea, and our industry crowd loves it. Any time after 6 p.m., this pleasant rustic roadhouse is jammed to the rafters. White brick, ceramic decorations and soft lighting give the room an incredibly welcoming facade, if the noise level does not. The food is inventive, and the reasonable prices can't hurt either. .. an evening at Ca’ del Sole is drenched with the spirit of Italy from the valet parking to your after dinner shot of grappa. Max Jacobson.
…this “delightful” North Hollywood Venetian option “does not disappoint” with “strong Italian flavors” and a “wonderful wine list” with some good buys if you’re willing to search the 700-label list; “responsive” service adds to the charming atmosphere that’s an oasis in an area otherwise filled with car dealerships.
Authentic taste of Italy at Ca' del Sole in Toluca Lake Escape to an Italian villa in a place you would never imagine, right off the 101 freeway in Toluca Lake, and transport your taste buds to the Old World. Ca' del Sole offers great Antipasto dishes to start with, including the required Bruschetta which you can never go wrong with (grilled bread, tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil), Melanzone (Grilled eggplants, tomato, mozzarella, parmesan crust), Cozze (black mussels, garlic, white wine, anise seeds), Carpaccio (beef filet, capers, shaved parmesan), and my favorite Burrata...
The pasta at Ca' del Sole is made in house, and you know you're getting the real deal, because the owner is from Venice, Italy. The signature pasta dish is the Mezzelune, pumpkin ravioli with butter, sage and parmesan cheese. Other choices include Bigoli (spaghetti, clams, shirmp, mussels, spicy tomato broth), Gnocchi (potato dumplings, duck ragout, marjoram), Spaghetti (house cured pancetta, egg yolk, parsley, black pepper), Agnolotti (pork, chicken, veal tortellini, butter, sage, meat reduction), Risotto (creamy Carnaroli rice, roasted butternut squash, shrimp). Is your mouth watering yet?
Ca' del Sole also has decadent desserts...I suggest the Tiramisu, since it's an authentic Italian restaurant, it's a must! They also offer great cocktails, like the Fragolino with Hendrick's Gin, Basil, Mint, Strawberries and Orange Juice...very refreshing. If you're looking for something with more punch, try the Mediterraneo with Beefeater, Apricot Brandy, Cointreau and Orange Juice, but make sure you have a designated driver if you order this one.) Ca' del Sole also offers Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 5-7 pm in their beautiful and comfortable bar area. You can also catch games there, so you don't have to miss any part of the action.
If you're going to be having lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch, you can choose to sit outside on their gorgeous patio or inside in the cozy restaurant designed to make you feel like you're in someone's home near their Italian kitchen. If the weather's nice, I definitely recommend sitting outside though.
Ca' del Sole is open every day of the week. They even do weddings there. It is located at 4100 Cahuenga Bvld. in Toluca Lake. You can call them at 818-985-4669 or visit their website at www.cadelsole.com for more information. Buon Appetito! June 8, 2010 LA Restaurant Examiner Melissa Gonzalo.
Trees strung with lights, blazing fireplaces and colorful masks decorate this Italian country inn-style eatery, which sits a stone's throw from Universal Studios. The Venetian cooking can't be mistaken for light Tuscan fare--entrees are hearty and filling and adorned with fresh Parmesan or mozzarella cheese--and are typified by gnocchi or the slow-roasted lamb shank. From the selection of homemade desserts, the rich vanilla-creme custard is especially popular.
With antique wood hutches, copper moldings, and a fireplace, this studio-area establishment draws a diverse clientele in search of thinly sliced octopus drizzled in extra virgin olive oil, soulful spaghetti carbonara, pumpkin-filled mezzelune(half moon-shaped ravioli), and classic osso buco. The wine list is moderately priced and, weather permitting, you can sit in the walled patio that, despite its proximity to L.A. traffic, feels wonderfully escapist.
Welcome to Ca' Del Sole—"House of the Sun"—where life is good, the food even better, and the setting sublime. At this delightfully authentic trattoria, the tantalizing aroma of fresh roasted garlic and herbs mingles with an infectious mood of contentment, and it's no wonder that patrons linger over their coffee and dessert as long as possible.
The light Northern Italian fare lets classic Mediterranean flavors shine through—garlic and capers, parmesan and polenta—each dish is a feast for the senses. Ca' Del Sole's fresh, imaginative creations taste like the ingredients were plucked from the sun-kissed hills of Veneto. …An al fresco cocktail hour and reception are pleasant and easy out on the terrace, with cafe umbrellas for shade, or heat lamps to ward off any chill. Keep the doors to the Venetian wide open, and let your party flow indoors and out…
The ristorante's approach is extremely professional, yet guests are able to relax amid a casual and joyous atmosphere. "We want to make everyone feel comfortable," assures Signor Costella. Your event at the "House of the Sun" will have guests so comfortable that they won't want to leave!
Ca' Del Sole has long been one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. Located in a little Mediterranean-style building with washed ‘mustard’ colored stucco walls and pots of geraniums on the outside walls, this is an Italian restaurant with a Tuscan flare. The main dining rooms are chic and inviting with displayed Italian pottery, beautiful framed landscapes and comfortable booths with crisp linen. The separate bar/cocktail lounge is a cozy place to meet friends for a drink and hang out long past ‘dinner time’ while snacking on such delights as ahi tuna tartare or fried calamari, shrimp, zucchini, vegetable tortelli or beef carpaccio with shaved parmesan and capers or maybe just sipping a perfect vodka martini or sharing a bottle of Barolo.
But I'm writing about this favorite restaurant not because of its lovely inviting décor or my usual favorite dishes. I'm here to tell you about its recently redecorated walled-in garden patio with it’s pretty potted plants and large trees brimming with clusters of little white lights bunched together to look like twinkling grapes dripping from the branches. Along the garden wall the tables have been encased in romantic cabanas with a rich salmon-colored fabric outlining the tent and white sheers draped and knotted for a dramatic accent. In the cocktail area of the patio, the wall has new elegant pillowed chaises which give new meaning to the definition of cocktail "lounge." So, if you’re in the neighborhood and want some truly good Italian food AND charming ambience, I highly recommend Ca' Del Sole.
Just North of Universal Studios on Cahuenga Boulevard, restaurant Ca’ del Sole is officially located on the outer edge of an area Los Angelinos know as the Valley. Since I live there, I am comfortable admitting that it sometimes feels like a fine-dining dead zone. That personal prejudice changed upon my first visit to this lush, sunny spot. The combination of attentive service, a relaxed atmosphere and authentic, delicious food makes Ca’ del Sole a hidden gem among Los Angeles restaurants…There is every reason to return soon too: the food is generous, authentic and delicious, the service is stellar and, despite these claims to fame, it remains charmingly rustic and unpretentious.
