Louise’s Trattoria ~ in Quaint Larchmont Village

Louise’s Trattoria – Larchmont Village

Louise’s Trattoria has been a lunch/dinner spot of mine for nearly 10 years. With a few locations near me, they’ve always been an ‘easy’ choice to meet friends and family. Louise’s celebrated it’s 35 years this year, and is top-rated in CitySearch.

I enjoy Louise’s on Larchmont, very cozy and very friendly. The bonus is afterwards, you can stroll through the unique shops in Larchmont Village and walk off your meal ;o). They also have close locations on Pico Blvd. (Century City) and Santa Monica Blvd. (West Hollywood).

Louise’s added a handful of gluten-free options to their menu a few years ago. My favorite is the Bolognese with gluten-free pasta. They’ve changed the noodles a few times experimenting, each time I’ve enjoyed the g-free option provided.

Bolognese w/ g-free pasta and g-free bread w/ balsamic.

In addition to their gluten-free pasta, they also make gluten-free pizzas, and have many delicious ‘greens’ to choose from including Insalata Mista, Sonoma & Louise’s Chop (no crispy onions) to name a few. Their menu is available online to view/download.

Lunch specials are priced reasonable, $10-$12 a plate, and come with a bowl of their 14 Vegetable Minestrone soup (also g-free). Dinner items just another few dollars.

Locals come here to indulge in their homemade fresh and famous focaccia bread, to dip in olive oil and balsamic. I miss that! So much so, the last time I visited I asked the waiter to kindly bring me a basket of their – wink – fabulous, warm g-free bread so I could indulge too, and he said ‘no problem‘. One thing I’ve repeatedly found, you never know until you ask. He brought out my own g-free warm bread, cut into strips, and my own dipping oils (the bread was simply their g-free pizza dough baked). Fabulous!

Another plus, they offer a discount when you use your KCRW card. One more way to support local art, and receive a discount at the same time.

Mangiamo!

(Food pic from my recent ‘take out’).

• Rigatoni Bolognese with g-free noodles – kitty = $ 13.63