Gold Dig #27

Vincenti in Brentwood is not only one of the “10 great Italian restaurants” Jonathan Gold has written about; it also makes Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. A large bar runs the length of the restaurant. Many of the patrons are in business attire and look like they might be having a work meeting. The staff is incredibly friendly and professional, so I can see why it draws the business crowd.

The Dish

There are huge wood-burning ovens and a rotisserie where much of the food is cooked. People go to Vincenti for the pastas with guanciale and the roasted meats.

Porchetta

I was on a mission to get the Porchetta, which Jonathan Gold said is the best restaurant version of porchetta he has ever tasted in California. Now I know what he means. It is no-knife-needed tender. You get bites with a touch of rich fattiness and crisped bits. It comes topped with baby artichokes that also have a wonderful smoky flavor and crispy edges. Insane good.

Vegetable Sides

My dinner-mate was a vegetarian (her loss!), so she ordered a bunch of the vegetable sides – crispy artichokes, brussel sprouts, roasted potatoes, spinach, and rapini. The presentation wasn’t beautiful – just piles of each of the veggies tossed onto a plate. But she said the flavors were great. Especially the crispy artichokes, which we both agreed we could eat a whole plate of.

Olive Oil Cake

For dessert – the Olive Oil Cake with blueberry sauce and stracciatella (chocolate chip) ice cream. I’ve had olive oil cake that was a bit on the heavy side, but this olive oil cake was light and you could taste the fruitiness from the extra virgin olive oil. It was good even without the sauce.

Panna Cotta

The Panna Cotta came topped with a layer of caramel and salty goodness. I am a sucker for the salty-sweet flavor profile that is all the rage right now. The salty chunks were pretty substantial size, sitting on a layer of caramel thin enough so it wouldn’t overpower the light creaminess of the panna cotta.