I was at a restaurant in Studio City and ran into my friend Rachel,
who was having lunch with her friend Katherine. Katherine mentioned
how proud she is of her daughter Veronique who owns all four of the
IL Tramezzino Restaurants in the Los Angeles area, and said it would
be great for me to do a tasting. I kindly took her advice and gave
Veronique a call, by far the best call I have made this year.
Veronique Delestang is a hoot, just one minute into the conversation
with her and I was sold that everything in life is fun fun fun, and
always a blessing. Her father was French, so she was raised in
France and her Mom, Katherine is Jewish. You can say she really
has the best of both worlds. Veronique’s twinkly blue eyes are
everywhere, she does not miss a beat, but never have I seen a boss
be so appreciative and kind to her employees. Her personality oozes
warmth, generosity, and above all fun, with a capital F. But don’t get
me wrong, she is the captain of a very tight ship; she just manages
her staff in by the old saying; “ Kill them with kindness” or “You get a
lot more with honey…”, both apply here! She calls her employees her
babies, and the enjoyable atmosphere reflects her unreserved
outlook.
She started her first restaurant in Beverly Hills on Canon Drive
twenty-one years ago. Veronique pioneered the out door café
experience in Beverly Hills. She had to jump through lots of hoops with
the City of Beverly Hills to make it happen. All of the other restaurants
have since followed suit and today the outdoor dining experience is
celebrated in Beverly Hills. Veronique also claims to be the inventor
of the Panini in Los Angeles. She is difinitely a woman of many firsts,
and she’s guaranteed to make you feel first and foremost when you
come to her establishment.
Here are the Wines that I tried at the Studio City location:
Mezzacorona, Pinot Grigio, Trentino, Italy. Pleasant bouquet,
delicate, fruity, dry and elegant.
Votre Santa, by Coppola, Chardonnay, California Peach, lemon and
pear flavors with hints of toasted vanilla. You could not ask for a
better wine to go with the Gorgonzola apple crunch salad, the wine
lend itself to the bold flavors of the apples in the salad. Yes it has it’s
own fruit flavors, but some how it added a great deal of flavor to this
crunchy creation. Perfect with the capreese and both chicken
sandwiches, not too over powering and just the right amount of
acidity.
Parducci, Pinot Noir, “Small Lots” Mendocino with
plum, cherry and strawberry flavors-plush texture. This wine paired
nicely with the penne pasta, just the right amount of light fruit flavors.
Lockwood, Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, Full-bodied, velvety-
flavors of blackberry, plum and clove. Great with the ravioli and the
desserts.
The food I tried at Studio City Location:
Potato Leek Soup with shaved leeks on top. This is a keeper, a soup
that needs to be cherished and celebrated. I am all about good soup,
and this is soup at it’s best.
Poached Salmon Salad with arugula, sliced roma tomato, red onion,
pine nuts, gorgonzola cheese and shaved parmesan tossed with red
wine vinaigrette and a touch of fresh lemon. For the fish lovers this is
so great. It is very lo-cal, and offers up some nice healthy protein, and
is cooked the right way.
Gorgonzola Apple Crunch with mixed baby greens, crisp granny
smith apples, cherry tomatoes, slivered almonds and Gorgonzola
cheese tossed in a sesame dressing. I could see this salad being
something you would have to order at least once a week, kind of
addicting, but very yummy.
Insalata Lorenzo with mixed baby greens, chopped romaine grilled
chicken breast, chopped roma tomatoes, avocado, garbanzo beans,
pine nuts and shaved parmesan tossed in their special red wine
balsamic vinaigrette. This salad is so fresh, like it just got picked from
the field. The chicken is tender and all of the other ingredients lend
themselves to this fine marriage of flavors.
Grille Sandwiches Panini Caprese with bufala mozzarella, roma
tomato and basil. Nicely appointed with all the nuances of what a
Caprese has to offer.
Grill Chicken breast with sun dried tomatoes, avocado, provolone
cheese and basil garlic sauce. This is their specialty; they serve 700
of these terrific sandwiches a day between all 4 locations. The bread
is the real deal, and the flavor of the grilled chicken breast coupled
with the basil garlic sauce is a real treat for your senses.
Firenza with smoked turkey breast, avocado, arugula, roma
tomatoes, bufala mozzarella and their special chili mayo sauce
served on grilled ciabatta bread. By far my favorite sandwich, the chili
mayo is such a nice blend of smoky and savory. It does not pack too
much heat, but is chalk full of glorious flavor.
Penne Lorenzo with grilled chicken breast, goat cheese, sun dried
tomato and fresh basil in a lite marinara sauce. For a nice pasta with
some protein this is the way to go.
Three Cheese Ravioli with pink sauce. These raviolis are gigantic,
they are heaven sent, and the sauce is perfection as well.
Desserts:
Tiramisu imported from Milan, so rich and creamy, only the Italians
could make it this good.
Mixed Berry Tart imported from Milan, a wonderful sweet and sour
delight.
Italian Sorbet peach imported from Milan served in their natural shell;
this is so refreshing and wonderful.
Croissant Nutella with banana and strawberry, this desert is so
extraordinary, with all of fresh fruit goodness, just save room for this
one!
Here’s what I tried at The Tarzana Location; with great Chef Mauricio
at the helm:
Salmon Piccata with fettuccine and fresh vegetables. The salmon is
cooked with lots of butter, lemon slices, and capers. It is prepared
very delicately, and offers just the right amount of salmon integrity.
Chicken parmesan with fettuccine, one of my all time favorite dishes
and Il Tramezzino does this one justice.
Chicken Marsala with fettuccine and mushrooms, very rich and filled
with Marsala wine. The chicken is very flavorful and tender.
White Fish, this was also terrific, the fish was so tender and fresh.
This is their weekly special; it was served with lovely sautéed
spinach, and vegetables.
Salmon with Argula. This is one is kind of a salad; it is served with a
creamy sauce and dried mangos, with shaved parmesan cheese all
on a bed of arugula. This salad is so unique; and so diverse. It is truly
fantastic, and a departure from ordinary salmon.
Filo Dough Pizza’s, I tried quite a few and all were outstanding, what
an interesting concept using filo dough instead of regular pizza
dough. Filo dough is paper thin sheets of
unleavened flour dough normally used for making pastries in the
Middle Eastern. You can’t find this anywhere; I would make this pizza
a weekly staple.
Herb Crusted Garlic Chibatta Bread, what a great accompaniment to
all of my incredible fare. This bread is sure to keep you coming back
for more, so exceptionally good!
The Desserts that I tried:
Cannoli Chocolate and Classic Cannoli with ricotta cheese. There
were 2 different cannoli’s served, the chocolate is shipped from Milan,
and the ricotta is made locally. Both cannolis were delicious; it was
very hard to save room.
The wine:
Votre Santa, by Coppola, Chardonnay, California Peach, lemon and
pear flavors with hints of toasted vanilla, this one I tried in Studio City,
and it went great with all of my menu items in Tarzana. It is a very
drinkable wine!
I am not one to drop names, but the day I was at Il Tramizzino they
were shooting a reality show for the Style Network “Tia and Tamika”.
I have to say I am sure customers are very excited to be a part of TV
in the making. The night before I came I was catching up on my guilty
pleasure “Keeping Up With The Kardashians”, and happened upon
the episode where Kim and Kourtney were having a quick lunch at Il
Tramezzino in Studio City. You can’t buy this kind of publicity and
from what Veronique tells me many different shows have filmed here.
Wow, so little time so much fame…That’s what I’m talking about! The
young, rich reality culture are filming and enjoying this oh so fresh
cuisine, how fun!!
Each location offers a different dining experience, UCLA has great to
– go fare of course for their students, while Beverly Hills has an
international feel. Studio City offers an industry experience, and
Tarzana offers more dinner options including fresh fish entries.
Although I did not get to eat at The Beverly Hills Location or the
UCLA location what I did try at both the Studio City and Tarzana
restaurants were both uniquely different. Studio City offers more of a
café flavor, and Tarzana more of a restaurant vibe. Both location had
some stand out menu items, and both locations have my seal of an
approval. When you’re in any one of these four SOCAL areas, stop in
and smell the paninis, and try all the other bounty that Il Tramizzino
has to offer.
You will feel at home at any of the four locations and are treated like
royalty. The staff is right there, being attentive to your every need
while still maintaining a warm and relaxed atmosphere. During my
two visits it seemed like anyone that walked in was instant family.
This kind of treatment you can’t put a price on. At Il Tramezzino you
feel completely comfortable and get to eat extraordinary food at the
same time, what could be better…such a deal!!
www.iltram.net
Studio City:
3031 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA
818-784-2244
Beverly Hills:
454 N. Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA.
310-273-0501
UCLA:
Located in Mullin Management Commons, 1st Level.
Tarzana:
18636 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA.
818-996-8726
