Enoteca Drago   

410 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-786-8236
www.celestinodrago.com

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Watching Celestino Drago manage the departure of his Italian "enoteca" dishes from the kitchen is like watching an Italian quarterback call out plays in a crowded stadium. Parlaying years of experience from his other restaurants, such as Celestino Italian Steak House, Il Pastaio (next door) and his namesake restaurant, Drago, Celestino brings his refined eye to this vast mosaic of regional Italian dishes at Enoteca Drago, satisfying discerning taste buds in an area code with plenty of them. Based at the old La Scala location, Enoteca Drago's interior has high Venetian arched stucco ceilings, plenty of rich cherry wood tables and a more-than-decent-sized bar (for drinks and small plates) that occupies almost half of the restaurant's bottom floor. On a menu quintessentially blessed with items you won't find at other restaurants (i.e. Crescenza cheese, fried green olives and braised oxtails), Enoteca's menu diverges from the norm in more ways than one, even offering wine pairings on the dessert menu. Order from a wide assortment of traditional entrees or plunge into the small plates menu, where the tuna tartar with lemongrass, beef carpaccio, crispy fried parmesan cheese and pork cheeks with Italian sausage and sauerkraut unite in a flavorful flourish. Prices scale a bit higher than one might hope for these delicious, yet glorified appetizers, but there's certainly no shortage of quality. The most startling dose of prestige might be the impressive wine list that has over 250 bottles and over 50 regional Italian wines, thanks to wine director Jeff Morgenthal, who bustles in and out of the wine cellar upstairs. And speaking of Enoteca's northern chamber, it's a lofty space that's much quieter, and more formal, than the lower level. And although the restaurant's colorful, glass-blown chandeliers infuse the lower level with soft light, they do not fit as well in the cozy upstairs section, where private parties abound.