A New Menu Debuts at Valentino, Placing the Legendary Restaurant Again at the Forefront of Italian Fine Dining in Los Angeles
Valentino, the legendary Los Angeles restaurant by Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio that has defined Italian fine dining since its opening in 1972, announces a new collaboration with Chef Luciano Pellegrini and the launch of their stunning new dinner menu. Selvaggio recruited Valentino Las Vegas veteran Chef Pellegrini – a James Beard Foundation award-winning chef – as the restaurant’s Executive Consulting Chef to design and implement the dazzling menu prepared by Chef de Cuisine Tommaso Tarantino. Together, the three talents have created a beautifully balanced group of dishes that celebrate the elegant style of Valentino and again place the restaurant among the best destinations in the city for sophisticated Italian cuisine served with faultless service and superior hospitality.
Highlights of the menu include Tuna Tartare with Orange Flavored Burrata Sauce; Sauteed Breaded Octopus on Sweet Onion-Potato Puree with Peperoncini Oil; Smoked Quail on Potato and Asparagus Salad with Blueberry Sauce; Grilled Eggplant Terrinewith Sweet Pepper Gelée and Gazpacho Sauce; Fresh Tagliatelle with Creamy Sweet Gorgonzola and Homemade Egg Yolk Bottarga; Prosciutto Stuffed Ravioli with Cantaloupe Melon Cream Sauce; Riso Di Venere – Pan-Sautéed Forbidden Rice with Fresh Water Shrimp in “Salsa Rosa;” Lo Stinco – Bone Marrow Stuffed Veal Shank Braised with Vin Santo served with Soft Polenta; Acorn-Fed Iberico Pork “Secreto” with Sautéed Spinach, Potatoes Chips and Fresh Tomato Salsa; and Veal Scaloppinawith Warm Caponata and Creamy Bottarga Sauce.
“Valentino has forever been the trend-setting place for creative Italian fine dining cuisine,” states Piero Selvaggio. “With Luciano back overseeing our kitchen and the restaurant offering a wine program that is better than ever, we feel that we are again positioned to be the Ferrari in this competitive Italian dining field. And we are still the original who set the bar.”
Chef Pellegrini was enthusiastic about working with Selvaggio again, saying, “It was Piero’s wish to bring a breath of fresh air to the menu and making it relevant for today’s diners. Of course, we also strive to showcase the California seasons and embellish Valentino’s on-going dedication to combining tradition with innovation in an elegant fashion reserved for fine dining.”
Selvaggio and Pellegrini spent several months testing and refining the selections before trying them out with their guests who are enthusiastically embracing the changes and the resurrection of Valentino’s culinary standing.
ANTIPASTI
Tartara di Tonno e Burrata
tuna tartare with a orange flavored burrata sauce 20
Polpo Panato con Crema di Patate e Cipolla
sauteed breaded octopus on sweet onion and potato puree with peperoncini oil 21
Polpette di Granchio
crab cakes wrapped in smoked guanciale with sweet pepper rings and horseradish sauce 21
Ibérico de Bellota
cold cut selection with buffalo mozzarella, caponata and fried gnocchi 23
Smoked Quail
rollè on potato and asparagus salad with blueberry sauce 19
Terrina di Melanzane e Peperoni
grilled eggplant terrine with sweet pepper gelée and gazpacho sauce 18
ZUPPA E INSALATE
Soup of the Day 11
Verdura e Frutta
julienned vegetables and fruit with verjus dressing 16
Insalata Riccia Robiola e Fagioli
frisée salad, sweet peppers, robiola cheese,
cannellini beans and roasted shallots with olive vinaigrette 16
Insalata Bianca alla Romana
napa cabbage, fennel, belgian endive and celery root with anchovy vinaigrette 15
I PRIMI
(entree portion add $7)
Tagliatelle al Gorgonzola e Bottarga di Pollo
fresh tagliatelle with creamy sweet gorgonzola and homemade cured yolk bottarga21
Gnocchi Patate e Rapini
potato and rapini dumpling sautéed with cherry tomatoes and jalapeño on creamy ricotta 21
Spaghettini alla Chitarra “Campofilone” ai Frutti di Mare
thin spaghetti with clams, mussels, shrimp in sweet pepper sauce 24
Linguine con Pesto di Mandorle
linguine tossed with an almond-basil pesto and crispy pancetta 22
Ravioli Prosciutto e Melone
prosciutto stuffed ravioli with cantaloupe melon cream sauce 23
Riso di Venere
pan sautéed forbidden rice with fresh water shrimp in “salsa rosa” 24
SECONDI
Sformato di Verdura Campana
baked eggplant, zucchini and scamorza cheese served with pizzaiola sauce 29
Spigola Nera
pan-seared black sea bass filet with wild fennel pollen vellutata and fennel gratin 39
Salmone
norwegian salmon filet with vignarola and saffron sauce 37
Lo Stinco
bone marrow stuffed veal shank, slowly braised with vin santo served with soft polenta 46
Veal Scaloppina
warm caponata and creamy bottarga sauce 40
Pollo Ruspante
mary’s free range chicken two ways – milanese chicken breast and tuscan-style braised leg 31
Il Manzo
mishima farms wagyu beef ny strip tagliata with saba sauce MP
Costolette d’Agnello
grilled lamb chops with fava beans and roasted tomato-olive tapenade 44
Il Suino Spagnolo
acorn-fed iberico pork “secreto” quickly seared,
sautéed spinach with potatoes chips and fresh tomato salsa 39
CONTORNI
Side dishes
Finocchi
fennel gratin 8
Vignarola
flash steamed fresh english peas, fava beans and baby artichokes
sautéed with spring onions and guanciale 10
Zucchini Trifolati
sautéed with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and parsley 8
Sformato di Bietola
swiss chard flan 8
Available now; menu subject to change with seasonal availability
Valentino Santa Monica
3115 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
ABOUT VALENTINO:
Piero Selvaggio and Valentino have made a significant contribution to the Los Angeles restaurant scene, introducing authentic Italian products, wine and regional cuisine to the public and nurturing many of our most influential chefs and restaurateurs.Selvaggio was recently recognized for his achievement in Wine Spectator magazine and Valentino has been honored with the magazine’s venerable Grand Award for its wine list every year since 1981. The restaurant is consistently named one of the Top 10 Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles and the United States by Gayot.com and named one of the Best Restaurants in Santa Monica and Best Service by Zagat.com. Valentino also received recognition from restaurant critic Patric Kuh of Los Angeles magazine as among the city’s Top 16 Italian Restaurants and placed #7 on America’s 50 Best Italian Restaurants by The Daily Meal. With its intimate dining rooms, unsurpassed wine cellar, and the consummate graciousness of owner Piero Selvaggio,Valentino remains the favored destination for some of the best dining in Los Angeles.
ABOUT LUCIANO PELLEGRINI:
Luciano Pellegrini was born in Bergamo, Italy. At age 13, he enrolled at San Pellegrino, one of Italy’s most prestigious hotel schools. In 1985, Pellegrini took what would be his career-changing step by moving to the United States to work with restaurateur Piero Selvaggio, who had achieved a solid reputation for bringing genuine Italian cuisine to California. He led the kitchen at Selvaggio’s many restaurants in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Taking a sojourn in Italy, Pellegrini immersed himself in the culture and cooked with some of the most creative and respected Italian chefs in the world including Gianfranco Vissani, Fulvio Pierangelini, Paola DiMauro and Nadia Santini. Returning to Las Vegas in 1999, Pellegrini became Executive Chef and Partner of Valentino Las Vegas at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino earning many awards for food, wine and service. In 2004, Pellegrini achieved one of the food world’s highest honors by receiving the prestigious award for Best Chef in the Southwest by the James Beard Foundation. Pellegrini has been a guest chef for some of Italy’s leading epicurean events, including the Bacco d’Oro di Brunello wine dinner in Montalcino, Gambero Rosso magazine’s dinner gala in Rome and the Guida L’Espressocelebration dinner in Palermo.
When Valentino in Las Vegas closed its doors in November 2013, Pellegrini took a break from the restaurant scene after a career spanning 36 years, and embarked on a new career, opening Dolcevita Gelato, a manufacturing company producing artisanal gelato for wholesale distribution. He now consults and cooks for various events nationwide.
For further information and complete menus, visit www.valentinosantamonica.com
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ValentinoSantaMonica
Follow Valentino on Twitter at @Valentino_LA and Instagram at @valentinosantamonica
