FELIX (VENICE, CA)

Felix
1023 Abbot Kinney 
Venice, CA 90291
www.felixla.com
Tel: 424.387.8622
Cuisine: Italian
$$$ ($30-$45)
Mon, 09/11/2017, 9:30 walk-in (called 15 min before to see if a table was available)
     (4.5 Piglets)

Felix is the hot, new Italian restaurant on the Westside. It is in the former space that once housed Joe's restaurant that I visited numerous times. It is now revamped (in a good way), now paying homage to fresh pasta created by none other than the former chef of Bucato Evan Funke. 

Each bite of the perfectly sauced pasta was al dente. Unique pasta shapes take hold of the menu, offering dishes based on different regions of Italy. 

The back dining room

The bar

The dining room

The décor is simple and comfortable. Upon entering, all you see is a bar; turn to your left and you are welcomed by the hostess. Off to the side of the hostess is a glass space where you may be lucky enough to see peeps at work rolling out fresh pasta sheets. The restaurant is surprisingly large, with a main dining room and another back room that houses multiple tables.  

POLPETTE DELLA MAESTRA ALESSANDRA ($18.00):  Pork Meatballs, Salsa Verde and Parmigiano Reggiano. This dish was good. I thought for being a pork dish, it was surprisingly moist. I'm used to beef meatballs, so this was a nice change from the usual. The texture is different, a little more spongy and chewy. It was perfectly crisp. The salsa verde was a bit on the lighter end and I kinda wish it had a little more.

MY FAVORITE DISH. RIGATONI ALL' AMATRICIANA ($23.00): Guanciale, Pomodoro and Pecorino Romano DOP. This was freakin amazing!!! The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente style, fresh and homemade. The sauce was rich without being too acidic. It was slightly sweet the way pomodoro should taste. It's so simple, yet so delicious. I highly recommend this popular dish.

MEZZE MANICHE ALLA GRICIA ($23.00): Guanciale, Black Pepper and PecorinoRomano DOP. This pasta was also delicious too! The texture is a bit lighter like a pappardelle. The sauce, oh man, the sauce...it was like a cacio e peppe but with bacon in it! It was simple and oh so satisfying. I couldn't stop eating it. So good!!

PICCHIAPO ($26.00): Roman-Style Braised Beef, Pomodoro, Peperocino, and Gnocchi alla Romana. This was delicious! The beef was so flavorful and delicious. I got a little confused with the dish as it is listed as "gnocci" and I expected gnocci pieces but received polenta cakes. Supposedly that was the gnocci? I think it should've been clearer on the menu or they should have listed it as polenta cakes; nevertheless, it was delicious and everything went well together. It was rich and savory and I thoroughly enjoyed it.



TIRAMISU ($14.00): I believe Jonathan Gold had stated that this was worth trying. It is a fairly large dessert, good enough to be split amongst 2 people. I was expecting something a little more lighter, but this was fairly dense and a bit on the drier end. The flavor itself was decent, but I didn't love this dessert.

Overall, I thought Felix lived up to the hype. To get a reservation is pretty much pure luck or reserving way in advance. I was lucky enough to call last minute around 9:30pm and found a table available (although I had to wait about 15-20min for the actual table to free up). The service was pretty good and I was happy with all the dishes we ordered. Unfortunately, they also ran out of some of the dishes we wanted to order, i.e. the pappardelle and the foccacia. I can't wait to go back. It's like the Bestia of the Westside (but pasta oriented)...yes, it's that good.






Notable Dishes: Rigatoni all' Amatriciana, Mezze Maniche alla Gricia, Picchiapio