La Traviata, Act II – Online Menu
301 Cedar Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 432-8022
Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
Mon-Fri 11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Mon-Sat 4:30 pm – 11 pm
Price: $ Parking: Street Credit Cards: YES
All things old are new again. This thought definitely comes to mind when talking about La Traviata. Located in the historic Willmore building on Cedar Ave and 3rd, this place is a classic. In this time of recession with so many businesses closing, La Traviata has endured and actually thrived, as recent expansions prove. A long time icon in downtown Long Beach with its ornate chandeliers, colorful rooms and lavish ambiance, the dining room is lovely. This boring Tuesday night finds me out with some friends for a bite in this ritzy eatery, and Tuesday is not so boring anymore. Luckily it is happy hour and we can munch to our hearts’ delight, as they have a fabulous $5 menu.
We ordered wine, a nice Sangiovese (a light fruity red wine), and started with a few of their appetizer specials – Lobster tortelli and Coco prawns. The tortelli were a bit mushy but tasty and the prawns were nicely crisp and sweet. As there were only two small portions per plate we made further selections off the menu. We decided on a mushroom flat bread pizza and some mini crab cakes. The pizza was a bit of a disappointment to me as it didn’t have much flavor and tasted more like a cracker than a pizza but the crab cakes were good. They were lightly breaded and moist in the middle, and not too heavy which was nice. Our very attentive waiter brought more wine. He quickly gained my approval as I was really liking the wine.
About this time the owner, Mario Nasab, stopped by our table and introduced himself. He is quite friendly and chatty. He told us about the expansions and the new lounge area that just opened up next door and took us on a little tour of the new digs -.quite impressive! There is a fabulous bar area, with great comfy seating areas all decked out with an old art deco feel. The walls are covered with Tamara de Lempika paintings, the seats in animal print fabrics, and the windows with lavish window treatments, all ever so inviting. Gazing out the window I could see a lovely church with a large stained glass window and it almost felt like New York City.
Good food, great service, the people very friendly, and my company witty as ever. I’d say it was another successful foray into the food world. Until next time -Bon Appetit!