Pecorino

"Veteran Italian chef Nicola Mastronardi has returned to Brentwood after spending decades helming the kitchen at longtime neighborhood restaurant Vincenti. Now he’s serving updated Italian osteria classics like cacio e pepe and paccheri with lobster in a refreshed dining room that was once Pecorino. With an open kitchen and gorgeous exposed brick walls, the place already feels lived despite only being open a few months. — Matthew Kang, lead editor" - Eater Staff

"According to Pecorino's Instagram, this San Vicente spot invented cacio e pepe, and we're pretty sure that's not true. Here's what we know: Pecorino's food ranges from relatively simple to quite fancy, and the menu’s high prices don’t discriminate. (The cheapest thing, a light vegetable soup, is around $12, and their “quick light lunch” menu starts at $38.) But we don’t leave Pecorino angrily waving our wallets in the air, because the food is good. There’s a warm cannellini bean salad with bottarga, amatriciana with al dente bucatini, and a beautiful parchment-baked sole filet topped with potato and zucchini slices that resemble fish scales. Our only major complaint is that Pecorino feels really sleepy in a sea of sleepy restaurants. It's the type of place you go to dine alone with your thoughts or with someone who requires quiet dining rooms. Even the soft jazz playing gets drowned out by the noise of clinking cutlery. On the bright side, there's free parking in the back." - Sylvio Martins, Arden Shore, Brant Cox

"According to Pecorino's Instagram, this San Vicente spot brought cacio e pepe to California in the year 2005. If that's true, we thank Pecorino. Even without that (dubiously credible) pasta history, this is still a reliable restaurant for any upscale occasion that calls for a calm room and nice Italian food. The food ranges from simple to pretty fancy, with dishes like cannellini bean salad with bottarga and a stunning baked sole filet with potato and zucchini slices that resemble fish scales (like we said, pretty fancy). " - Sylvio Martins, Brant Cox, Nikko Duren

"According to Pecorino's Instagram, this San Vicente spot invented cacio e pepe, and we're pretty sure that's not true. Here's what we know: Pecorino's food ranges from relatively simple to quite fancy, and the menu’s high prices don’t discriminate. The cheapest thing, a light vegetable soup, is $12, and their “quick light lunch” menu starts at a steep $38. But we don’t leave Pecorino angrily waving our wallets in the air because the food is actually good. There’s a warm cannellini bean salad with generous amounts of bottarga, an excellent amatriciana with al dente bucatini, and a beautiful parchment-baked sole filet topped with potato and zucchini slices that resemble fish scales (like we said, pretty fancy). Our only major complaint is that Pecorino gets really sleepy in a sea of sleepy restaurants. It's the type of restaurant you go to dine alone with your thoughts or with someone who is hard of hearing. The soft jazz playing gets drowned out by the noise of clinking cutlery. On the bright side, there's free parking in the back. photo credit: Jessie Clapp" - Sylvio Martins