What I'm Wicked Into: Bacari GDL
Happy Wednesday!Oh, man... do I have a food review for you. If you live in the LA (specifically, in the Valley), you better be taking notes on this one, especially if you're a foodie—like moi.Last week, Sam and I planned a mid-week date night to break up the work flow and it couldn't have gone any better. We decided to check out a spot we had our eyes on for a couple of months now, tucked within The Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA—a Venetian-style bar/restaurant serving delish small plates called Bacari GDL.In Venice, these small plates are known as cicchetto or savory snacks/small sides.As some of you may already know, restaurants specializing in small plates are trending right now... places where you can indulge in shareables with your table, passing around plates and tastes you may have never tried previously. Anyway, this may be our new favorite thing...Bacari GDL is all things good: an extensive wine & beer menu, woodstone fired pizzas, pastas, cheese & meat platters, house made four-fruit sangria, drool-worthy desserts, and plenty of vegan/veggie options. Like, really, where can you go wrong?Plus, the restaurant's interior is extremely eye-catching with their chalkboard walls, wooden tables, and trendy light fixtures. Perfect for any date night or get together with the gals.READ: Food Review on Eagle Rock's Casa Bianca Pizza PieSam and I made it to Bacari GDL in time to partake in their Happy Hour, so you know we took advantage of that. We started with a couple dranks—Tank 7 farmhouse ale for Sam and a Black Manhattan for me (I don't mess around)—followed by a nice starter of stuffed cremini mushrooms. Holy moley, these were damn good. The pesto and walnut filling had me wanting 10 more.
We kept the food train going with their bacon & double cream brie pizza, mac & cheese, and Bacari's house-cured olives. (Is it weird that I'm half Greek but didn't start loving olives until a few years ago? Yeah, it's weird...)
Following that, we ordered another round of drinks—a Modern Times IPA for Sam and the four-fruit sangria for me. It was pretty damn tasty, I'll say. I don't know why I decided to follow a cocktail with sangria, but hey, when in Rome...If you're thinking "There is no way those two ordered dessert, too" well, then, you're going to just have to take a seat! ;) We ordered the cardamom chocolate ganache with a side of vanilla ice cream. Do you know why we had to get this dessert? Because it included brown butter cookie dough. Like, COME ON! The mix of hot and cold ingredients was a perfect end to dinner.
We had huge grins on our faces when it came time to go and head out to the movies to see Get Out. After such a delicious and pleasant dining experience, we knew Bacari would be a spot we'd return to soon. There are just so many more small plates to try and cocktails to sip...Go here, peeps. Take it from two foodies who seek out great new places to dine with friends and fam.Here are their two other locations in case one of these is closer to home: Bacari Playa Del Rey and Barcaro LA.What new restaurants have you tried? What makes you go back to a spot over and over again?Cheers to good food and wine,Ari
Other “What I’m Wicked Into” Posts:- What I'm Wicked Into: At-Home Arm Workout– What I’m Wicked Into: Thrifting– What I’m Wicked Into: A Casual Valentine’s Day- What I’m Wicked Into: Salt Cave Santa Barbara- What I’m Wicked Into: Sober January- What I’m Wicked Into: Casa Bianca Pizza Pie