Florence Osteria & Piano Bar Brings Tuscan Cooking to Los Angeles | Eater LA

"Opened Thursday, December 5, 2024, this Tuscan restaurant is the first independent project from Francesco Zimone, the U.S. operator of the famed L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (which has four locations throughout Southern California); notably, there isn’t a single pizza on the menu—the focus is on traditional Tuscan dishes with wood-fired meats, pasta, and seafood. Behind the stoves is Puglia-born chef Giuseppe Gentile, recruited by Zimone after Gentile ran kitchens for L’Antica; his dishes lean traditional with some modern spins. Appetizers include grilled Spanish octopus, crispy saffron risotto with stracchino cheese, and pecorino Romano fondue. Pasta selections feature fettuccine prepared tableside in a Parmesan cheese wheel, bone marrow risotto, tagliolini with preserved Meyer lemons, scampi crudo tartare, and caviar. Gentile also employs a wood-burning oven to prepare an open-faced branzino as well as a porchetta-style Duroc pork belly. Beverage director Liz Davar, working with Antica’s Adrian Pacheco, helped develop cocktails meant to reflect central Italy: the Bella Donna spritz is made with Madame Milu Milù digestive, herby salvia, lemon, and prosecco; the Tutto Bene blends Don Julio Reposado and Blanco, Giffard Pamplemousse liqueur, Amaro Montenegro, and orange bitters; and the Florence Martini is kept simple and dirty using Stoli and Castelvetrano olive juice. Zimone also served as interior designer: the space features new wooden floors, soft light from custom wood ceilings, earth tones throughout, and a piano for live music. He removed a diseased tree from the patio and replaced it with three 85-year-old olive trees; the 60-person patio will keep its canopy during winter months, and a handful of tables are available nightly for walk-ins and overflow next to a 10-seat bar. The Beverly Boulevard space previously housed Pane e Vino (opened 1991), the short-lived Sirena, chef Chris Morningstar’s Terrine, and the plant-based Nic’s On Beverly (closed 2023). Open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight; check Instagram or the restaurant’s website for the live piano performance schedule." - Mona Holmes