Jessica G.
Yelp
Expanding its location from East Coast to West Coast, Alba's finally here in LA. Well, obviously not a surprise that getting a reservation here really seemed like finding needle in a haystack, especially in its early days. It's getting better recently though I wouldn't say it's easy.
They opened their door at 530pm on a daily basis so basically it's mainly for dinner. It was a nice semi outdoor ambiance, with the dining area being under the open sky. Worry not if it rained (although prolly pretty rarely happened in LA), since they did have sliding sun-roof.
Talking about the service, it's actually kinda polarized with the waitress serving my table was super friendly and helpful for my group who're all first-timer; nonetheless the receptionist wasn't as welcoming. I came with 4 other friends, and 1 of us took slightly longer to find parking spot (well you know Melrose!). The receptionist insisted that the complete party had to be present for us to be seated, despite the other 4 were already there. I would understand if the venue was like jam-packed, but it wasn't the case.
Shoo-ing the not-so-delightful first impression, fortunately the waitress was as lovely as the venue's interior! Gorgeous peach color with touch of greens here and there, just amusing view for the eyes. Following the waitress' recommendation, we went for multiple dishes and shared all so we could try more from the menu. We got both the appetizer, Focaccia and Raviolo, which all of us were impressed of. The focaccia was flawlessly baked with butter and olive oil per my guesstimate, making it having that salty hint, which they perfectly paired to sweetened whipped ricotta. The ravioli stuffed with mozzarella then cooked in brown butter sauce and balsamico, was another smart combination of flavors, and personally was my highlight of the dinner. Highly recommended if you're a mozzarella fan like me. If you fancied something fried, go for their Squash Blossoms, which did sound simple yet pretty nice coming with their porcini lemon mousse.
As for the pasta, first one we had was the rigatoni, which was cooked al dente in the smoky lemon sauce. The smokey flavor pretty much stood out, but the lemon was pretty subtle. Maybe preference, but the overall taste which was more into tangy, wasn't really my cup of tea. The second pasta dish, the Agnolotti, was probably one of their most popular as I could see almost all reviews about the place had this dish being featured. Hence no reason for not giving it a try, especially knowing I was a huge truffle lover. Not sure what's stuffed inside the agnolotti, but the mixture surely reminded me of squash / pumpkin / sweet potato; so picture sweet filling mixed with creamy flavorful truffle. It was pleasant yet was kinda heavy especially if you did it solo.
Each of their dishes came in quite delicate size, probably except for the Orecchiette and Rigatoni from the pasta selections, which were indeed come in shareable size. Prolly just be mindful though since some of the petite ones could be relatively heavy as the sauce was rich and creamy.
Overall, would I say it made it to my favorite resto in town? Probably not on the top list, but would I come back? Maybe yes if I could skip the tough reservation part.