Tonight chef Victor Casanova opens Gusto, leaving Culina behind for the trattoria of his dreams on Third Street. Casanova’s menu bulks up The Boot’s tradition with selections of antipasti, six handmade pasta selections, four brick-oven pizzas, five mains, and a few market-sourced contorni. With a big dash of imagination and equal respect for the past, Vic’s starters include whipped baccala croquettes, veal sweetbread milanese, and a tartare of beef heart and black garlic, while pastas vary from a square spaghetti with tomato and peperoncino to the chef’s ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms and marsala. Entrees find the chef making hangar steak from Harvey Guss beef with funghi misti, pork shoulder braciole with dandelion greens, and wild king salmon with hen of the woods mushrooms. Fresh, direct, local, and robust appears to be the realization of Casanova’s aspirations here and we caught an early look at Gusto’s cooking prior to tonight’s grand-opening. Take a look and see the dinner menu below.
Gusto, 8432 West 3rd St. West Hollywood.
MENU
PICCOLI PIATTI
OLIVE warm marinated olives. 5
TRI-COLORE wild arugula. treviso. frisée. parmigiano reggiano. chianti vinaigrette. 9
LETTUGA baby lettuces. pencil asparagus. fava beans. english peas. burrata. tarragon vinaigrette. 11
POLIPO red wine braised baby octopus. black olive. ceci’s. harissa. 12
POLPETTE pork meatballs. ricotta. tomato. 13
BACCALA whipped salt cod croquettes. salsa verde. 12
VEAL SWEETBREAD MILANESE
pounded. ciabatta crust. wild arugula. sweet 100 tomatoes. lemon. 15
PROSCIUTTO SAN DANIELLE sheepsmilk
ricotta. marinated baby beets. poppy seeds. sea salt. 15
CROSTINO duck liver. marsala. crispy duck skin. 13
MELANZANE AL PARMIGIANO eggplant.
mozzarella di bufala. tomato. 12
CARNE ALBESE beef heart tartare. black garlic.
anchovy. country toast. egg yolk. 14
LE PASTE
pasta fatta in casa
GARGATI fennel sausage. chianti. rosemary. parmigiano reggiano. 16
TONARELLI square spaghetti. san marzano tomato sauce. basil. peperoncino. 14
LASAGNETTE ragu bianco. peas. artichokes. mozzarella. 17
AGNOLOTTI english peas. ricotta. mint. lemon burro fuso. 15
TAGLIATELLE bolognese. parmigiano reggiano. 16
RICOTTA GNOCCHI wild mushrooms. marsala. thyme. 17
LE PIZZE
MARGHERITA D.O.P tomato. mozzarella di bufala. basil. 13
PEPPERONI spicy salumi. tomato sauce. mozzarella. cacciocavallo. 14
FUNGHI besciamella. mozzarella. burricotta. hen of the woods. bacon.
thyme. 15
QUATTRO FORMAGGI
besciamella. mozzarella di bufala. ricotta. fontina. parmigiano reggiano. 13
SECONDI
WILD KING SALMON hen of the woods. cauliflower. meyer lemon. capers. 29
BLACK COD broccolini. potatoes alla piastra. salmoriglio. 28
QUAIL treviso. chives. white polenta. sugo. 26
MANZO Harvey Guss’s hanger steak. sweet potato. funghi misti. aceto balsamico
tradizionale. 27
BRACIOLE pork shoulder braised in tomato sauce. dandelion greens. 25
CONTORNI
BELUGA LENTILS
roasted red beets. ricotta salata. 6
EGGPLANT
agrodolce. 6
FINGERLING POTATOES
thyme. rosemary. 6
RAPINI
garlic. chili. lemon. 6