Chi SPACCA

[PorkyBelly]

Had my best meal here the other night and glad to report they’re still going strong post-chef colby

burrata & stone fruit - plum, nectarine, mint, mizuna
Besides an uber, this is one of the best things to order at chi spacca for a vegetarian. The balance of flavors was outstanding. Sweet, creamy, tart, bitter, spicy. Loved the bits of garlic and chillies.

(new) dry aged “liberty” duck - balsamic glaze, forbidden rice
New dish from chef Francis will give charcoal’s perfect 21 day aged duck some stiff competition.

One to two week aged half duck before getting its balsamic glaze bath and spices.

ready to go in the oven

expertly deboned by chef francis
I wish they plated the leg bone and wing to gnaw on.

The meat was juicy and tender with a delicous crispy mahogany skin.

forbidden rice with bits of pork
This actually had more socarrat than my paella at otono.

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previous visits

veal tongue, oregano vinaigrette
Like french kissing elsie the cow.

porcini rubbed beef short ribs salsa verde, scallion
Surprisingly bland and tough

beef and bone marrow pie, beef cheek, cippolini, funghi, side of mashed butter
More comforting than sitting on the couch wearing a snuggie and watching cat videos on youtube.
Richer than a Fuerdai USC student on an expense account.
And so bony it’s making Keira Knightley jealous.

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meat, pate, trotter fritti

focaccia di recco, stracchino, olive oil

razor clams

bistecca fiorentina

beef cheek and bone marrow pie

chocolate and peanut butter

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Had another great dinner at chi spacca. I’m impressed how consistently consistent the small kitchen executes the large menu here.

spacca caesar - cauliflower, escarole, anchovy
I was watching them make this and each leaf was individually dressed so perfectly it’ll be on the cover of next month’s vanity fair. Top three caesar salads I’ve ever had. (@Bookwich).

whole roasted “naked” squab - oven-roasted, sea salt
Crispy skin and soft, tender, juicy meat with a slight bit of gamey funk.

pigeon

pigeoff

Gotcha

grilled hearts of palm
Palm tree offal. Crispy and mildly nutty. Delicious.

pollo alla diavola su crostone - pane rustique, onions, lemon
Wow, highlight of the night. Great flavor throughout the juicy, moist meat. And those onions and bread at the bottom soaking up all the chicken juice was brilliant. Thanks for the rec @Chowseeker1999. @TheCookie this has your name all over it.

toasted milk and malt gelato

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Shit, i felt the same way about the chicken pot pie but was too lazy to write it up. And what’s even worse is i paid $50 for it instead of the current price of $37. #teambeefandbonemarrowpie

cetera anchovy & butter
Surprisingly balanced. Underrated highlight.

spacca culatello, burrata
Delicious

little gem, sieved egg, bacon vinaigrette, herbed breadcrumbs
Pretty good but a bit heavy on the bacon and dressing. I prefer the caesar.

chicken pot pie
A bit starchy and the white meat pieces were a little dry. The carrots were delicious, but I wish there were more veggies inside the pie itself.

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If you killed it, I will come.

ABC

porchetta fredda, chicharron salsa
Excellent

quail al mattone, parsnip, radicchio
Delicious flavorful quail on top of crispy fried parsnips.

pork pie, borlotti al fiasco
Great texture to the crust with no squidgy bottom. a little side of sauce or chutney to go with it would have been perfect.

Do jeans and a t-shirt go with a pork pie hat? Asking for a friend.

So porky I can still hear it

chi SPACCA
6610 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 297-1133

Chi Spacca | Italian Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA

[Xochitl]

Love their fried trotter!! Best in the city!

[Bookwich]

This toto, it is not so nice, a shame for such a nice restaurant.

[BradFord]

@PorkyBelly

Richer than a Fuerdai USC student on an expense account.
And so bony it’s making Keira Knightley jealous.

[attran99]

Wow! Super nice meals!
The burrata and stone fruit here makes the APL one a pale comparison.

[Nemroz]

nice… only missed my favorite dish
how many people ate this!? that’s a spread yo

[tailbacku]

what’s your fav dish?

[Nemroz]

oh oops, that was dickish not to mention… i think the lamb sausage is my favorite.

[tailbacku]

is that veal tongue raw?

[PorkyBelly]

@tailbacku

is that veal tongue raw?

no, it’s cooked (boiled?)

[PorkyBelly]

@Nemroz

i think the lamb sausage is my favorite.

thanks, will try that next time.

[Nemroz]

How many people ate this?
What did you drink?

[PorkyBelly]

Pics are from several visits with 2 or 3 people. Don’t remember what everybody drank.

[Chowseeker1999]

Chi SPACCA is one of those places that while relatively young (compared to many eateries around town) has already risen to a certain level of awareness and popularity due to a strong debut and well-executed early years under Chef Chad Colby (who has since departed). Part of what Jonathan Gold humorously dubbed “The Mozzaplex,” Chi SPACCA is the 3rd arm of Chef-Owner Nancy Silverton and business partner Joe Bastianich’s success at the corner of Melrose & Highland, sitting next to Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza.

These days, Chi SPACCA is helmed by Chef Ryan Denicola who had studied under Chad Colby and Nancy Silverton before taking over the reins.

Charcuterie Plate - All 6 Selections:

Chi SPACCA makes all their Charcuterie in-house, which is part of the charm of the place (they do their own butchery, aging, etc.).

Trotter Fritti:

Their (Pork) Trotter Fritti is crunchy, rustic and meaty, and nicely seasoned, delicious.

Chorizo + Trappist Salame:

We liked the lightly spicy, different take on what you might think of as “Chorizo.” Definitely more porcine aromas and flavors in this version.

Pancetta:

Just as @Porthos was scared away by Animal’s heavy dishes, I think Chi SPACCA’s Pancetta might be the one that I’ll be moving away from on future visits. There’s no other way to put it: Their “Pancetta” was really just pure Pork Fat. Yes, you might see a little striation of what looks like Pork Meat, but it’s really 95% Fat. I took a bite of it, and, yup, that was good enough for me. It’s decadent and big and a proud expression of what Chi SPACCA serves, but it was too heavy for me.

Coppa:

This was probably the most porky and beautifully pungent of all of the items on this Charcuterie Plate. Delicious.

Pate:

Very good as well, but quite heavy, so it’s best in small doses.

If there’s one quibble with Chi SPACCA and its Charcuterie Plate, it’s that you have to order Bread separately (for $6) to pair with the various meats.

Fett’unta:

Veal Tongue (Oregano Vinaigrette):

Beautifully delicate, tender. The Oregano lent a pleasing herbal note to every bite. Fantastic!

Grilled Octopus (Pureed & Fried Ceci, Lemon):

Hearing @robert and numerous others recommend this, we had to give this a shot. The Grilled Octopus was smoky, with a beautiful char, tender (not rubbery) and the Pureed Chickpeas and Fried Chickpeas were a nice pairing.

Roasted Amberjack Collars (Labneh, Zhug, Radish):

I love Japanese preparations for various Fish Collars (e.g., Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail Collar)), and hearing @Nemroz rave about Chi SPACCA’s preparation meant a must order for us.

Firstly, @Nemroz was right: This dish had incredible flavor combinations! The Amberjack Collar meat was moist, flaky, just beautiful morsels of lightly smoky Grilled Amberjack. The Zhug was quite spicy and interesting in making an appearance with this Israeli cuisine renaissance of sorts. I remember first trying Zhug/Skhug at Kismet, and then seeing it appear at Mh Zh in Silver Lake, then noticing it at Ta-Eem Grill (which probably was one of the earlier places to serve it). Since then I’ve noticed some variation of this at a bunch of restaurants around town. Not that it’s a bad thing: It’s delicious!

So Chi SPACCA’s version is zesty, definitely spicier than many versions around town, and a nice pairing with the Amberjack, when added with the creaminess of the Labneh. Thanks @Nemroz for the recommendation!

Dry Aged “Liberty” Duck (Balsamic Glaze, Forbidden Rice):

Reading the words “Dry Aged Liberty Duck” immediately brought back happy memories of Chef Citrin’s excellent and amazing Aged Duck preparation at Charcoal. We excitedly ordered this in the hopes we’d have another great Aged Duck preparation around town to enjoy.

I loved the lacquering of the Duck Skin, although it wasn’t really crispy like Peking Duck or something. But still it had great flavor from the Balsamic Glaze and each piece of the Aged Duck was moist and tender.

I agree with @PorkyBelly that this is a great dish. I think I like Charcoal’s version more, but this one is still very good.

The Forbidden Rice that came with the Duck was just OK. A touch too oily and heavy for an already heavy meal.

Grilled Long Beans:

These also felt a bit excessive by the end of this meal, but perhaps they’d be perfectly fine on their own. The Grilled Long Beans were smoky with heavy charring and quite soft (perhaps a touch too soft).

Previous visit:

Costata alla Fiorentina (Prime Dry-Aged Bone-In New York Steak, 60 oz):

The 60 oz Steak (a.k.a. “Appetizer” for @J_L @PorkyBelly). We didn’t order this (even with 4 of us), but I had to take a photo of how ridiculous this looked!

Focaccia di Recco (Stracchino, Olive Oil):

Decadent. I took a cue from @ipsedixit and had to scrape off the Stracchino because it was too much. But it was great in tiny portions.

Roasted Cauliflower (Crushed Lemon Bagna Cauda):

Crave-worthy, a touch of the ocean from the Anchovies, nice char.

Grilled Broccoli di Cicco (Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette):

Very good.

Tomahawk Pork Chop (Fennel Pollen):

Absurdly juicy, smoky, quite supple, one of the best Pork Chops we’ve tried around L.A.

Pollo ala Diavola su Crostone (Roasted Jidori Chicken):

What this Roasted Chicken lacks in crisped skin, it makes up for it in good marinated flavors that seeped into the Chicken meat itself (even the Chicken Breast portion), and just a good juicy bird overall.

Chi SPACCA is one of those places that arrived on the scene with a big, bold culinary viewpoint (not in the absurd Guy Fieri fusion craziness, but with big cuts of meat, being unabashedly meat-centric and not afraid of fat or cholesterol). When you approach it from that point-of-view, you’ll be treated with some very good, almost bombastic meaty, fatty dishes that sing with flavors.

The Tomahawk Pork Chop, the Pollo alla Diavola (Roasted Jidori Chicken), the Aged Roasted Duck are all excellent and worth ordering. The Charred Octopus is great, as is the Grilled Amberjack Collars.

It’s when you order more than a few of these dishes (including Appetizers) together that you start to crave something lighter, something green, something not charred, not doused in heavy sauces, not mixed with fat that might slightly derail your enjoyment of the evening.

Chi SPACCA is great in small doses (for our palates), but I don’t think I could eat there every week. But when we do go and take our first bite of whatever meaty, smoky, grilled proteins the chefs are cooking up, we forget all about the concerns as the deliciousness hits our palate.

Chi SPACCA
6610 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tel: (323) 297-1133

Chi Spacca | Italian Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA

Update 1: Carabinero Prawns, the Bistecca Fiorentina 50 oz and more!

Chi SPACCA

Update 1: We had another great meal at Chi SPACCA. Executive Chef Ryan Denicola and his crew have definitely improved over time. [chi2_001] The open air kitchen starting to heat up with the influx of diners as we arrived. [chi2_002] Affettati Misti - Charcuterie Plate: [chi2_007] As before, Chi SPACCA’s Housemade Charcuterie is a standout item on the menu. Speck: [chi2_009] Thinly sliced, their Housemade Speck had the most buttery, fatty mouthfeel (in a good way). Capocollo: [ch…

[Sgee]

@Chowseeker1999

Their “Pancetta” was really just pure Pork Fat.

Looks more like lardo

Love the place, however best to go with a large group; greasiness tends to creep up on you towards the end.

[PorkyBelly]

Thanks for the report @Chowseeker1999. I’m glad you liked the duck. I think I may like charcoal’s duck a little bit better too, I’ll have to try it again for research.

[robert]

That doesn’t look meaty enough to be pancetta (bacon), though maybe it was from a Mangalitsa or some other super-fatty breed.

It’s easy to get carried away and go overboard with fatty and meaty dishes, but there are other options. Still not the best place for small appetites.

CHI SPACCA - Anyone been lately?

Four of us had a great meal last night: focaccia di Recco, big razor clams, grilled octopus, grilled lamb, tomahawk chop, grilled mushrooms, grilled broccoli di Cicco, butterscotch pudding, peanut butter pie. The razor clams made me feel like I was in San Sebastian and the octopus like I was in Ensenada. Surprising for a place that’s so meat-oriented. The chop was a truly great piece of pork. Lamb was nicely done though a bit mild for my personal taste, especially in contrast with the pork, I …

[Chowseeker1999]

@Sgee

Looks more like lardo

Love the place, however best to go with a large group; greasiness tends to creep up on you towards the end.

Hi @Sgee, @robert,

Thanks. Yah totally. It should’ve just been called “Lardo,” but on the menu and our server called it “Pancetta.” Either way it was… a lot of fat.

Overall, though, yah I think it’d be nice to go with 4 - 6 people to spread out that heaviness. I just wish there were a few more bright, crisp, lighter fare to mix in. I still like the place of course.

[PorkyBelly]

@Chowseeker1999

The Tomahawk Pork Chop, the Pollo alla Diavola (Roasted Jidori Chicken), the Aged Roasted Duck are all excellent and worth ordering. The Charred Octopus is great, as is the Grilled Amberjack Collars.

It’s when you order more than a few of these dishes (including Appetizers) together that you start to crave something lighter, something green, something not charred, not doused in heavy sauces, not mixed with fat that might slightly derail your enjoyment of the evening.

i need to try that chicken next time, is it spicy? the burrata & stone fruit salad is perfect for something light and green and it’s delicious.

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @PorkyBelly,

Yah definitely give the Chicken a try. While it’s called “diavola” on the menu, we didn’t find it very spicy (just lightly spicy), but that visit was a couple years ago, so maybe it’s changed. Thanks for the stone fruit salad suggestion.