LA Restaurant Openings: Celestino Makes It a Quartet With Drago Centro

Celestino Drago (Drago, Enoteca Drago, Il Pastaio) heads to Downtown LA with Drago Centro, a modern Italian in the repurposed City National Plaza, where the mid-priced menu (veal chop for $34, roasted squab for $32 and seafood ragout for $29, as examples) includes cicchetti-small dishes for nibbling with a vast selection of Italian wines; the space’s wavy design was inspired by the Rialto Bridge in Venice, and its setting also includes stone walls, muted colors and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the restaurant with light. Chef Drago wanted this latest concept to encompass a rediscovering of local Italian dishes, which are revisited with the aid of modern cooking techniques and inserted into a modern context. The menu is representative of the cultural diversity of Italy. It emphasizes fresh, high quality ingredients reflecting old flavors that have defined Italian cuisine for centuries. As a nice value-added service, the restaurant will offer complimentary roundtrip shuttle service to any events at Staples Center, Nokia, and the Music Center. Head over to 525 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, but you might want to call 213-228-8998 first to make a reservation. Extra info can be found at their website, www.dragocentro.com, which even has a recipe for oxtail ravioli.

Via Zagat