Taste test: Terroni

...Just a quick bite of Terroni, the newish Italy-by-way-of-Toronto cafe on Beverly Blvd. where Authentic Cafe used to be. If there was anywhere that needed an update, it was Authentic, with its turquoise and pink color scheme and circa 1986 menu. Terroni is a perfectly modern interpretation of a buzzy Italian cafe, and quite different in feeling from most overly-serious or faux-rustic L.A. Italians. It's all open kitchen, bright colors and snazzy chairs for a much more contemporary feeling. The menu also seems different from the typical L.A. Italian menu, thank goodness. We tried a pleasant salad with briny olives, pine nuts and Cambozola cheese and a pizza with homemade sausage and smoked scamorza cheese. The thin-crusted pizza was a bit salty with those toppings, but tasted pretty much like one you'd get in Italy. We loved little touches like the fresh parmagiana grater box (do they sell those?) and the little dish of pickled red peppers instead of boring dried pepper flakes. Ramin insisted on trying dessert -- frozen Nutella mousse sounded good, but the flavor was too restrained and the presentation was kind of foofy (those are cake croutons on the left, not salad croutons!). Amp that baby up with a layer of actual Nutella in the middle, guys! I liked the feel of Terroni a lot, and I'm sure I'll be back to try some of the interesting-sounding pastas. But I might wait for a business lunch -- it's a little pricey for everyday lunching.
Terroni
7605 Beverly Blvd.