Mona Pasta Bar has softly opened in Downtown Los Angeles at 111 West 9th Street.
The restaurant’s primary owner, Devin Carlson, has been a DTLA resident for almost 15 years and is looking forward to adding to the neighborhood’s vibrant atmosphere.
Mona’s dishes highlight the marriage of local Southern Californian ingredients with the use of classical Italian techniques and flavor pairings.
This blend is on display in dishes such as heirloom tomatoes from the Santa Monica farmers market with Burrata handmade in Puglia.
Additionally, branzino is stuffed with caramelized fennel found growing wild on the hillsides of California and the Mediterranean alike.
The pesce crudo dish is garnished with toasted hazelnuts after being placed atop a pool of citrus and beet vinaigrette and doused in a peppery Sicilian extra virgin olive oil.
Overall, the menu is designed for snacking over a glass of wine, sharing with friends and/or enjoying a more coursed-out dining experience.
Pasta, a focal point of the offerings, will all be made in-house including Lumache – alla vodka with prosciutto and Casarecce with lamb sausage and rapini.
Executive Chef Freylinlsai Morales Salazar has been an integral part of the culinary teams in other local eastside kitchens including, All Time, Café Stella and L&E Oyster Bar.
The wine list is focused on fun, daring, low-intervention, natural wines to accentuate and complement the food.
The primarily Italian-focused list with opening selections from Sicily to Puglia will be rotating based on seasonality and availability.
Mona intends to be a warm, neighborhood restaurant with just 34 seats inclusive of walk-in bar and patio seating.
Other design highlights commissioned by Carlson include a floral installation by Lera Pen and soffit sculpture by DOT, both local artists too.
The restaurant will open with a nightly Happy Hour from 5pm-7pm. Regular dinner hours are 5pm-9pm on Wednesdays and Sundays and 5pm 10pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Reservations for Mona Pasta Bar are now live on OpenTable at www.monapastabar.com.