CAFE ALDENTE
 12215 Ventura Blvd., Studio City - (818) 985-8055

REVIEW:
 By Larry Lipson: Daily News Restaurant Critic

Quietly, a small Italian cafe in the rear of a narrow Studio City shopping center ahs been gaining devotees for several years, while many more visible tratorias on Ventura Boulevard have come and gone.

Aldente Italian Kitchen, in its efficient, workmanlike manner, produces well-crafted pizzas and pastas day in and day out. It also whips up several neatly done salads, fashions soft, generously stuffed ravioli, and generally pleases budget-minded eaters in its neighborhood with a menu that allows all kinds of portioning and added options at a pittance.

It evidently started out as a takeout place, developed a strong catering and delivery business, especially with nearby studios, and eventually added furniture and extended its hours for more in-house service.

It's the kind of place where a couple can share a pasta ($5 to $7), a small pizza ($5.50 to $7) and a couple of sides of salad ($1 or $1.50), enjoying a hearty meal for around $6 to $8.50 a person.

If you choose the pasta arabbiata, for example, you may pick your noodle (spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, angel hair or linguine) and for $6 you'll receive a hefty, spicy-hot portion tossed with onions, garlic, peppers and sauteed fresh, sweet tomatoes.

And, living up to its name, the pasta is usually served al dente - to the tooth - but more in the American way, somewhat firm but yeilding, than in the Italian manner, which - more often than not - comes up bendable but still quite chewy.

Ravioli is always a good test of a pasta-maker. Here, there are enough rounded dough wrappings to share per order ($5.95), every one pillowy soft in texture, thank goodness, and each one containing decidedly more than the usual amount of ricotta stuffing.

As for toppings, the house marinara sauce is an amenable, not too gloppy mixture, nicely seasoned. And if you're tired of Tomato, bolognese may be substituted for $1.50 extra.

Here the question automatically arises, how meaty is this kitchen's bolognese sauce?

Evidently meaty enough. One evening spaghetti bolognese ($6.95) provided the perfect take-home accompaniment for a sturdy red wine. The meat sauce proved to be even better than expected, impressively bolstered with sauteed onions and mushrooms.

Like the house pizza with broiled, moist pieces of chicken, mushrooms and peppers on a cripsy crust.

Aldente fashions a rare Minestrone soup ($2.50), very light, but very tasty.

Purists will like the pasta pomodoro ($5.95) or the aglio e olio ($4.95) and there are the popular alfredo, pesto, and primavera opportunities to arrest boredom.

But whatever is picked here, you can rest assured it will be cooked correctly, will have plenty of flavor and will never cause you any financial management stress.

THREE STAR RATING FOR FOOD.

Please note that prices may vary since the publish date of the review above.

 Cafe Aldente Menu - Check out Aldente's current menu items (COMING SOON!)

E-mail Cafe Aldente at - peace@weddingwarehouse.com

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