The polpettine al tartufo con polenta. Photos by Brian Addison.
Nestled in a small, tavern-like space with walls adorned with exposed brick and wine box lids, antiqued mirrors reflected an oddity: people. Lots and lots of people.
The space at 2941 Broadway has long been cursed, acting more as a revolving door for failed restaurants than what was seen last night as I sat at a stool surrounded by chatting winos and grubbers.
2009 marked the close of The House of Madam JoJo’s, an overpriced, overrated Italian joint that needed more of a scrub, inside and out, than anything else. That led to The Raven’s Nest, a Cuban restaurant that couldn’t garner a crowd and closed in less than a year. Then came the solid El Lobo, a Latin-American inspired food spot that lasted a much more formidable two years but eventually closed its doors, despite fantastic food, come 2012.
The peculiarity that surrounds the seemingly ill-fated location is right next door, sharing the same wall to the east, is one of Long Beach’s most successful and best Italian joints (and, if one were to consider their prices, arguably the best Italian spot), La Parolaccia. Here, people are continually jostling for a table, giving the restaurant a steady stream of customers that has continually forced it to expand operations in any way it could.
The burrata con pesto at Bacco Enoteca.
While it’s easy to speculate that La Parolaccia’s phenomenal food mixed in with its chill vibe, Italian-speaking servers, and parked Vespa in the interior could have just caused customers to shun the space westerly, there is most likely no need to worry about the space any further given La Parolaccia now operates it.
But the Italian savants didn’t take on the extra square footage in the name of its home base restaurant. Rather, they opted for a whole new idea under the moniker of Bacco Enoteca. The slightly-but-cutely redundant name—“the wine of Bacchus,” the Roman name for the Greek god of wine, Dionysus—is perfect for what it is: a wine and beer bar dedicated to Italian/California varietals and craft beer, along with serving almost exclusively assagini. That is, small bites. And let us not forget the stuzzichini. That is, the extra small bites.
“For me, it was about embellishing La Parolaccia instead of extending it,” said owner Victoria Vaughan. “I didn’t want another space for La Parolaccia to use… After traveling in Italy extensively, I wanted a place where you can grab a drink, a small bite and go on your way or stop in after you’ve been to La Parolaccia and have dessert or, of course, more wine.”
The food is, per La Parolaccia’s fantastic offerings, deeply rustic with subtle hints of refinery.
Their polpettine (meatballs made with grass-fed beef) can stand up on their own, particularly in a basic red sauce or arrabbiata but Bacco goes classic Italian and puts them over a generous pile of parmesan polenta and to add even more decadence, adds some sliced black truffle on top. The result is an earthy, creamy combination—and for $9, it is downright awesome.
The torta di mandorle, made by Scratch and delivered daily.
It is also commendable that they procure from local sources (including Scratch Bakery, who fresh bakes and creates daily their two dessert offerings: the torta di mandorle [almond torte] and the pasticcino di cioccolato [dense chocolate cake].
“We’re able to keep costs down by using the resources of La Parolaccia,” Vaughan said. “The same people work here as they do there—not necessarily sharing a kitchen but sharing workers. That’s how we can serve what we serve.”
We’re talking arancini that, though not quite on the level of Michael’s Pizzeria, are nearly comparable (especially with their $7 price tag). Risotto rolled into balled, filled with housemade mozzarella, deep fried and, rather than the usual Sicilian combination of adding a meaty ragù, Bacco adds a vegetarian basic tomato sauce.
We’re talking burrata, procured from a local Italian cheese maker. This Pugliese cheese, known for its salty creaminess, is a form of mozzarella by where the outside is the solid form of mozzarella we commonly know while the center is a blended combination of fresh buffalo mozzarella and cream to make it seem like its almost melting. Bacco then adds some pesto and some fresh cherry tomatoes tossed in balsamic, olive oil, and basil. Spread on a crostini and the guilt in consumption is overridden by pure gluttony.
Most importantly, the neighborhood seems to be getting it, given the crowd that astounded me when I walked in at 7PM on a Thursday night. Of course, maybe they’ve discovered Bacco’s secret: though only open Thursday through Sunday, each day—yes, including weekends—has a happy hour from 5PM to 7PM.
The arancini, cracked open to reveal the oozing, housemade mozzarella.
The deal? 50% off all beer—and I don’t mean Bud Light but Clown Shoes Clementine or Affligem Blond or…—and select wines. Yeah, half-off.
Though surely that isn’t going to last forever, Vaughan is smart by bringing down the bill significantly in the wine bar’s first stretch of having its doors open (which officially started on September 18 with their soft opening). After all, once you taste the quality, you won’t care how much the beer and wine cost.
For a menu and more information, click here.
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