I had driven by Cube probably 200 times and never really been too enticed to try it. The strange awning combined with what looked liked an empty dinning room left something to be desired. But on one of the first cold nights of this year, I came across their menu in my hunt for a new restaurant to try. Things like gnocchi with braised oxtail, kabocha squash soup and black truffle pizza with a fried egg lured me in. I had to try this place.
A phone call to the restaurant got me flustered-they were booked! How could it be? I thought the place was always empty. I begged and pleaded with the reservationist...I told him we could be out with in an hour, and finally I was rewarded with two seats at the bar, but we had to get their fast. I grabbed a bottle of wine because I had read on yelp that they offered cheap cork-age, and sped to the restaurant.
The setting is rather unique. It is a market and a cafe. Refrigerators line one side of the restaurant and are filled with Italian frozen pizzas and other entrees and soups that are made daily at Cube. The other walls of the restaurant are lined with shelves holding imported pastas, sauces, jams and olive oils. The bar seating makes up half of the restaurant as there are only a four or five tables.
We were taken to the corner of the bar and immediately brought a wonderful amuse of cow cheese from Georgia, accompanied with oven roasted grapes and toasts on a little slate. The presentation was simple but sophisticated.
This amuse, along with the warm atmosphere and friendly staff made me immediately like Cube. I don't understand why more restaurants don't give out an amuse bouche-they cost pennys and can make such an impact on the diners experience.
The menus, which change daily, were presented and so many things sounded wonderful. The restaurant is heavily Italian with a California influence. They have an amazing cheese selection of over 85 cheeses and the presentation of the cheeses is truly impressive on the black slate with chalk writing of which is which. So creative, since I always forget 2 seconds after they tell me.
We decided to start with mimmo's burrata with flat bread and bacon wrapped dates. Looking back, I wish we would have ordered something a little more creative. It's hard to mess up a bacon wrapped date. And compared to the beautiful cheese plates coming out, ours looked rather boring.
For entrees we ordered the sugar pie pumpkin stuffed pasta-because it sounded freaking amazing, as well as the roasted half chicken. The pasta came with toasted walnuts, sage, mascarpone cream and parmesan cheese. Sounds like the most amazing dish ever, but it was such a disappointment! I loveee pumpkin and I love mascarpone, so the two together, and with sage! But NO! It tasted like pasta drenched in a heaving parmesan cream sauce. There was no taste of pumpkin or sage. I literally had two bites and couldn't eat anymore. It was too rich and not at all satisfying.
The half chicken was much better than the pasta. It came with crispy guanciale, walnut stuffing, truffle mashed potatoes and haircots verts. It was huge and actually plenty of food for two people and a welcome dish after the terrible pasta.
I want to go back and try more of their dishes, but overall I see so much potential for this place.
Cube 615 N. La Brea Ave. (323) 939-1148