Pasta|Bar
Californian restaurant · Encino ·
Handmade pasta, seasonal ingredients, wine pairings, romantic setting
Handmade pasta, seasonal ingredients, wine pairings, romantic setting
"Representatives from Pasta Bar expressed both enjoyment of the ceremony and clear ambitions for further recognition. Margarita Kallas-Lee said, "This is the first year that I’m just enjoying it. I’m not nervous. I’m very excited. I think with Pasta Bar [in Encino], the team is amazing." Phillip Frankland Lee added a longer note about goals and investments: "We’re trying to get two stars with Pasta Bar. We’re trying to get a green star, trying to get all those things. A year ago, we planted a legit quarter-acre garden. If my brother [Lennon Silvers Lee of Silvers Omakase] gets a star, we’ll be the first brothers in America to both own separate starred restaurants, only the second time that’s happened in the world, and the only ones current. If the stars align…" - Matthew Kang
"One star. Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee’s tasting menu restaurant in Encino serves a well-executed array of dishes with pasta as the main focus. Chef DJ Nelson oversees the day-to-day employing ingredients sourced from the restaurant’s urban farm. The multi-course set menu is priced at $245 per person." - Eater Staff
"A stylishly modern space hidden inside an unassuming strip mall, this hip concept's tasting menu is one for the books. Offered in a well-appointed front bar, drinks and a snack kick things off, and the staff is wonderfully engaging as they serve a host of delectable, hyper-local items. The eclectic cuisine travels beyond the borders of Italian tradition, offering up such creations as a raviolo filled with king crab, fermented pineapple, and macadamia nuts, or perfectly chewy cavatelli with Iberico pork, chile pasilla mixe, and earthy mole. Australian lamb loin features a merguez sausage made from its belly meat, matched with cherries, cipollini, and dusky rose-hued pasta filled with braised lamb neck. Desserts, like a bone marrow custard filled with blackberry granita and crisp meringue, are equally intriguing." - Michelin Inspector
"A contemporary restaurant in Encino featuring intriguing cuisine like fresh pasta pockets with local ingredients." - Kevin Chau
"One star. Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee’s tasting menu restaurant in Encino serves a well-executed array of dishes with pasta as the main focus. The multi-course set menu is priced at $225 per person." - Eater Staff
