What we had: Seared ahi salad--great quality fish, but very little of it, and a salad that was a bit overdressed and screamed pre-packaged; Next, a featured special: stuffed Anaheim Chile with ground prime rib. The presentation was pretty clean and the seasoning was well-executed. However, the texture fell a bit short for me--pinenuts were larger than the meat itself, which made the meaty qualities of the dish a bit underwhelming. Overall, worth a taste.
For the main course, we went for the Steak Frites and the Chicken Roulade. The steak was pretty good--definitely recommend a medium rare to medium--though the presentation was lacking and the "shoestring fries" were just the standard packaged fries. Further, I would hardly consider this a classical French Steak Frites--yes, no butter, but nothing about the dish conjured up even the slightest memories of France. Delice Bistro (now closed) managed to bring Angelenos the closest to the real thing. The corn on the cob was certainly not fresh and way overcooked--was possibly sitting prior to service and thrown back on the grill in an attempt to seem fresh. In short, forgettable.
On the occasion that I had it, the Bocca Steak did a better overall job of highlighting the restaurant's abilities.
The Chicken Roulade--pass. The spinach and mushroom stuffing completely overwhelmed the palate and the chicken lacked flavor and texture. The sides were decent but nothing great. Apparently the tandoori chicken is supposed to be a lot better, but it just seemed out of place in the restaurant and I was pretty certain they didn't own a traditional tandoori oven and would merely slap on tandoori seasonings.
Dessert: their signature chocolate souffle. Easily the best part of the meal--the dish was done well and the non-dairy chocolate did not have the overbearing sugary aftertaste that most parve desserts seem to have. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was a high note at the end of the meal. Highly recommended.
A brief description of a Thursday at Bocca--we arrived around 7:30 and it was quiet. Around 10pm, live music was being played in the dining room--a tad loud, but a nice touch to the experience. Probably the part that brings me back to Bocca is that the service is solid and, regardless of how busy they are, they will not attempt to turn over tables rapidly. You can sit for 3-4 hours without feeling rushed. Reservations are definitely recommended.
All in all, Bocca provides a nice alternative to the Pico-Robertson kosher scene as the Valley continues to show that it can be a destination for kosherfoodies.
Rating: 4/5
