Mr. Gohan: Quaint & Charming! (Briganti, South Pasadena)

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Quaint & Charming! (Briganti, South Pasadena)

Quaint and charming feel with big dollar taste. In the beautiful small town of South Pasadena, Briganti serves up fabulous Italian fare. While many people complain of the service here, I have yet to have a bad experience. The owner and waiters are always pleasant and food is always excellent. What else could one ask for?

The owner of Briganti tells it like it is. One would expect to have a generic answer to what has to be one of the most asked questions in restaurants.... "how is this dish?" or "which dish is better?" Most waiters or owners will generally become politician-like and not take a stand, but Ignazio Mastromatteo does not hesitate to steer you in the right direction. Every time I come here, I'm torn between two dishes. And every time the owner will tell me which one is the better dish. And as of now, he's hit a home run every time. This past time that the Mrs. and I went to Briganti, we ordered the Rigatoni Amatriciana and the Fettuccine Bolognese. The Rigatoni Amatriciana is a rigatoni served in tomato based sauce with onions and pancetta. The rigatoni was al dente and the flavor of the pancetta is what made this dish, although it was a tad bit too salty. The Fettuccine Bolognese was also excellent. There was something about this dish that made it feel like a good old homemade meat sauce. I really enjoyed this dish. For dessert, we ordered the Pere Cotte al Vino Rosso (poached pear served in a red wine sauce served with a vanilla gelato) and the standard Tiramisu. Both of the desserts were excellent! For the charming feel, proximity to my home, and reasonable prices, Briganti has quickly become one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Briganti is excellent anytime of the year, but in my opinion, the best time to go is when truffles are in season. Briganti offers an excellent truffle menu for a very reasonable price and should not be missed.

Rigatoni Amatriciana