For anyone looking for a cozy and comfy place to drink and dine, look no further than Peter Garland’s Porta Via restaurants.
Known as a neighborhood California bistro and bar, Porta Via restaurants are located in Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Calabasas, and Palm Desert making sure everybody everywhere can indulge in style. For 30 years, proprietor Peter Garland has been delighting the palates of his loyal customers.
Garland aptly sums up his food philosophy in one sentence: “Combine the best seasonal, organic ingredients and prepare them simply.”
For unaware foodies, Porta Via is a contemporary California bistro and bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, offering Italian-inspired cuisine. The menu is designed to be both classic and creative, with just the right amount of imagination to give patrons the feeling they’re at a “special” place. A regular at many of Southern California farmer’s markets, Garland and his staff hand-pick produce to ensure that only the finest food is served at his restaurants. Wild-caught seafood and “all natural” meats are brought in daily, and the wine program includes nearly 150 wines from around the world, including a private consignment of mature Classed-Growth Bordeaux.
Porta Via Beverly Hills offers ample outdoor dining that is perfect on a wonderful warm summer night. The inside offers a laid back yet chic setting for a fun night out.
During our recent visit to Porta Via Beverly Hills for dinner and drinks, I started with the Oaxacan Monk made with Mezcal, Lillet, Green Chartreuse and orange bitters. This is a pleasant albeit potent cocktail that gets the evening off to a good start.
Another good go-to cocktail is the Island Old Fashioned with 15-year rum, pineapple, Luxardo, orange syrup and bitters. There’s a sweetness here but it’s hardly saccharine. And don’t sleep on the Smoke Show made with mezcal, grapefruit, lime and smoked rosemary. This one is a very nice smoky Paloma variation.
A great appetizer to start with is the Burrata with Heirloom Tomato with basil pesto and sea salt and pepper. Any fan of burrata will love this one. It’s fresh and light (albeit super cheesy) and absolutely delicious.
If you’re looking for a hearty entrée, you can’t go wrong with the Prime French Cut Pork Chop that is fennel pollen dusted and served with organic market vegetables. This is a great one to share or is guaranteed to make any hungry diner a very happy person.
A pleasing pasta plate is the Rigatoni Bolognese with beef ragu and parmigiano. It’s perfect to share or can easily serve as a mighty, meaty meal and then some. Pastas here are gluten free or can be served as zucchini pasta.
If you save room for dessert, the Carrot Cake with fresh carrot sponge cake made with walnuts and layered with sweet cream cheese is a crowd-pleaser. I am partial to carrot cake and this one was legit. Other decadent options include Black Out Chocolate Cake as well as Coconut Crème Brûlée, and Basque-Style Cheesecake.
Personally, I’m always partial to liquid dessert so I really enjoyed the cool Coco made with coconut rum, coconut milk, lime, pineapple, mint, vanilla-infused Demerara and 18-year Flor de Caña float, and toasted coconut rim. Yum! This serves has a good nightcap while giving you that final dash of dessert sweetness.
Porta Via restaurants are located at the following locations.
Porta Via Beverly Hills, 424 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210; (310) 274-6534
Porta Via Calabasas, 4799 Commons Way, Unit J, Calabasas, CA 91302; (818) 746-2400
Porta Via Pacific Palisades, 1063 N Swarthmore Ave, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272; (310) 499-2989
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