Tao Group Opens Spectacular New Lavo Ristorante

Tao Group’s new LAVO Ristorante joins the list of restaurants that offer great food in a unique setting where diners can delight in interesting people watching.

The 250-seat West Hollywood restaurant houses multiple seating areas including a bustling lounge bar area with a huge gold and copper bar and a beautiful main dining room with big modern chandeliers, brown velvet booths, pretty upholstered chairs, lush foliage and a remarkable tree centering the room. The large retractable roof provides star gazing opportunities both inside and above the romantic space.

We started off with the impressive Lavo-Lini with vodka, lychee, white cranberry, aloe vera, lemon and raspberry caviar and the Sicilian Cartel with mezcal, lime, egg white and grapefruit cordial. We also indulged in the Vecchia Fiamma, impressive both in presentation and taste, with bourbon, maple, angostura bitters and orange peel served under a smoking dome.

Each table is served a pretty sampling of baby vegetable crudité and olives. We also sampled the delicious Yellowfin tuna tartare with avocado and a taggiasca olive dressing; oven roasted artichokes with pecorino and fava beans and a light salad with tomatoes and almonds.

There is also a whopping one-pound Wagyu meatball with fresh whipped ricotta cheese for hearty appetites.

Next came a lovely black truffle mushroom and sausage wood-fired pizza. Diners can also choose from Lavo’s margarita basil, cheese and pepper, prosciutto and pear and spicy salami pizzas. The menu also includes a huge variety of pastas with a classic spaghetti with tomato sauce, ricotta tortellini, rigatoni with bacon and ricotta salata, vodka penne with prosciutto and cream, artichoke occhi, capellini with lobster, lemon tagliatelle with caviar, gnudi with chanterelle mushrooms and black truffle and ravioli handkerchiefs with white Bolognese sauce.

Specialty main courses include eggplant parmigiana; chicken with white balsamic and potatoes; scallops with tomatoes, olives and capers; grilled branzino with lemon and parsley salad, halibut with fennel, olives and citrus; langoustine scampi with chili and lemon, Dover sole piccata, chopped sirloin with mushroom scapece and a veal chop marsala with sage and mushrooms. Diners can also choose from a variety of steaks and chicken and veal Milanese or Parmigiano. Sides include string beans with raisins and oranges; wild mushrooms with herbs; broccoli rabe with garlic, chili and lemon; potatoes with lemon, olive oil and parsley and black truffle fries.

Desserts include an assortment of gelato, affogato with gelato and espresso, warm ricotta donuts with Oreo Frappuccino, an almond semifreddo with cherries and chocolate sauce, a Sicilian pistachio tart, tiramisu and a 20-layer chocolate cake.

Whether you visit to stare at the human or celestial stars, dine on delicious Italian food, or enjoy specialty cocktails, Lavo is a perfect LA destination dinner spot.

Located at 9201 W. Sunset Boulevard, reservations at Open Table.