When You’re at Cosetta, You’re Family | Eater LA

"Beckoning from a sparsely occupied business park off Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, this newish California-Italian neighborhood restaurant from chef Zach Pollack wins over droves of locals with a relaxed, string-light-lit patio, millennial pink and red accents, sage green chairs, and blondewood tables, plus a crowd-pleasing menu that merges the easy seasonality of Alimento with the nostalgic Italian-American riffs of Cosa Buona while still feeling fresh to Westsiders. One of its more compelling aspects is how allergen-sensitivity inclusive it strives to be—crispy Milanese can be made gluten-free (go for the eggplant rendition doused with marinara); dishes like crunchy smoked mozzarella sticks, Buffalo chicken wings, and a garlic-bread-crumb-covered Caesar salad already are. The standout might be those mozzarella sticks, arriving in a Jenga stack with marinara sauce that cuts through the richness of the smoked cheese, while the bloomin’ radicchio riffs on a blooming onion with battered and crisped radicchio leaves, piave cheese, and a not-too-acidic oil-and-vinegar dressing; purists can go for Caesar. The raw bar selection is surprisingly solid—try the albacore with tomato conserva and crispy onions or yellowtail dotted with “nonna’s caponata” and thinly sliced chiles. This is truly a take-anyone restaurant—friends, loved ones, out-of-towners who think Santa Monica is only the beach—and kids will get loud over blistered pizzas that the staff gamely tolerate. You’ll feel better about being in the deepest recesses of Santa Monica when you realize parking in the nicely sized lot is validated." - Nicole Fellah