Classic Tables: Angeli Caffe

You can throw a wet noodle in any direction in L.A. and hit an Italian restaurant. But that wasn't the case in December 1984, when chef Evan Kleiman opened Angeli Caffe.

Kleiman--chef, cookbook author and radio host (her show, KCRW's "Good Food," airs every Saturday)--just wanted an unpretentious place where she could serve the rustic dishes she fell in love with while traveling through Italy.

Today, the trattoria and her menu are as straightforward and charming as ever.

The food has a simplicity that few can muster. Small squares of crusty bread come straight from the oven to the tables--it's impossible to wait until it cools (many fingers have been burned ripping into these over the years).

You can always count on fresh, seasonal greens for the salads, and bright, flavorful homemade sauces for the pastas. Deconstructed lasagna ($13) is laden with meaty Bolognese, béchamel and sheets of hand-torn pasta; we also love the spicy arrabiata with penne ($12).

The rosy pink beet or spinach gnocchetti, soft little round dumplings made without potato, sit like pillows in a pool of butter sauce ($14). Die-hards still clamor for crisp pizzas and the garlicky, lemony roast chicken ($17.50).

Prices have always been reasonable, but Kleiman's in a celebratory mood: From now through 2010, get a special three-course menu--which changes regularly but features some of Angeli's most popular dishes--for only $25.

Angeli Caffe, 7274 Melrose Ave., Mid-City; 323-936-9086 or angelicaffe.com