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There’s a new fine-dining experience in Los Angeles that is unlike anything else in the city. On a nondescript street, inside what seems like a residential complex, is a two-story, 14-seat restaurant named da Barbara that looks like it was built out of an apartment.
Italian green walls contrast with marble tabletops strewn with intricately designed charger plates and glassware. Upstairs there are two tables for larger groups, while the bottom floor is designed for romantic couples and daters looking to impress.
Nestled in the back is the equally minuscule kitchen where chef Barbara Pollastrini cooks and chats with the guests out of what looks like an apartment kitchen. There’s no fancy stove or elaborate setup, just Pollastrini, cooking in a way tantamount to a dinner party, but with a seven-course meal that rivals Michelin-starred gems across the city.
This is Pollastrini’s dream. An Italian immigrant hailing from Rome, Pollastrini is a French-trained chef who came to America to work on movie sets, but always set her sights on having her own restaurant and earning that elusive ‘star’.
“This is literally the dream I’ve had since I was a kid. Especially since I was able to do everything by myself. So, I’m free to do whatever I want, which is the real dream. I don’t have an investor,” says Pollastrini. “I have a few goals in my life and getting a Michelin star is one of them.”
The restaurant is the culmination of years of working in other people’s restaurants, experiencing gender discrimination, and fighting for her food. “You know, even today, there aren’t that many female chefs because it’s a male-dominated world. There is nothing you can do, and I thought coming here would be easier, and in some ways, it was, but even just hiring people, the disrespect I got was incredible. I was trying to hire a sous chef and people would say to me that they couldn’t work for a woman.”
'Forest Medley' and 'Is It Winter Yet?'
Because of the obstacles, Pollastrini ventured off on her own and found the perfect space that was tailor-made for her. As you enter the restaurant, you’re immediately struck by how small it is. The vibe is warm, however, like Pollastrini who has smiles for days and makes you feel like you’re at home – which is how she describes it.
“I don’t want to call it a restaurant. It’s a dining experience. I start from the ingredients. I am the kind of chef that if I don't have the right ingredients, I don't cook. And that's something that I learned from my mother when we were going to the farmers’ market [in Italy]. When I go to the farmers’ market and find beautiful vegetables or whatever I find, that's where my creativity starts. Also, this is a place where we have only 14 seats. I want to make money, but for me, it's more important to give the people the feeling that they're coming to my house and eating with me.”
The seasonal menu’s seven courses read like a non-traditional journey through Italy. There’s homemade ricotta with tomato confit and focaccia that oozes on the plate. Next is her ‘Almost a Carbonara’ a gnocco alla Romana with house-cured guanciale, crispy artichokes, and grated egg yolk. Her ‘Forest Medley’ is a tartelette with mushrooms, beef tartare and caramelised onions. ‘Is it Winter Yet?’ is a pumpkin tortelli with orange, candied pears and the most mouthwatering pecorino Romano fondue. She ends the savoury section with ‘Rollin’, a filet mignon stuffed with Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano that tastes a million times better than it looks.
What’s remarkable about Pollastrini is that she delivers this intricate menu on her own, with only two servers assisting along the way. There’s also no pastry chef, but that doesn’t stop her from serving both a liquorice semifredo and a cannolo that doubles as a strudel for dessert (pictured top).
Pollastrini plans on changing the menu based on the season and what’s available at local markets. But she’s also going to base her food on anything special that her vendors might bring in for the week. “If, my vendors say, ‘Today I have the best tomatoes,’ I'm going to work on my menu based on the ingredients that I have at the time. For example, if they're going to bring me the best Santa Barbara prawns that you can find, well, that is going to be on the menu for the night. That's how I want to approach my dining experience.”
Da Barbara is the antithesis of every splashy opening in Los Angeles, there’s no grand dining room, no over-the-top fanfare, and no bells and whistles. It simply packs a punch well above its weight. But if you want to feel like you’re eating with family – in the nicest way imaginable – this restaurant will make you rethink everything possible in your tiny kitchen at home.
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