Spina

Spina offers a cozy dining experience that blends casual ambiance, modern Italian fare, and a curated selection of wines together in Atwater Village

There is something incredible about being at the right place, at the right time. For instance – I joined Groundfloor Club in Echo Park earlier this year to get out of working and writing at home. I wanted to push myself toward expanding my friendships and community interactions in a more active manner. Plus, writing at home – with pets and distractions – was getting frustrating.

Being at Groundfloor – through conversation with other members, attending events and having a place to work – has been exactly what I’ve desired. It’s there that – through a seemingly random occurrence of being at the right place at the right time – that I met Adam – another Groundfloor Club member.

After being introduced to each other by one of the community managers, we began a quick conversation about his recent travels to Lyon, France,  my love of Switzerland, and him writing about his travels on his own blog –  @uselessopinionsaroundfood. That continued into us making plans to talk more about travel over dinner.

A few months later, we made plans to meet at Bar Sinizki. However, as fate would have it with my arrival and finding a parking spot in Atwater Village – it coincided with Adam getting a call that his waitlist table at Spina was ready. As both Bar Sinizki and Spina are walk in only establishments, he graciously checked with me to see which I preferred. After a quick decision, we were soon seated at a table inside of Spina. It was also lovely that Adam’s brother, Jamie,  joined us for a few minutes as well.

There is a certain indescribable delicious delight in meeting a potential new friend over food. Reyna made a similar comment when we had our first lunch at Honey Hi, after meeting during the DTLA Brews & Bike Crawl event by Just Ride LA. It’s kind of like a first date – where you gauge conversation, how the other person orders and if your tastes in life align.  But, there’s really no pressure – only the pleasure of getting to know another human, having a unique experience in this world.

I began with a glass of La Colombera’s 2022 ‘Derthona’, a Timorasso wine varietal from the Terre Di Libarna DOC in Italy. This was crisp and mineral forward, with a lightness that felt good to start with. Plus, I’d not in recent memory savored a Timorasso wine.

Dinner began with the INSALATA DI BEET, CAPRINO E PISTACCHI (mixed green, yellow and red beet, goat cheese, pistachio, balsamic).

Now, I will say – I generally enjoy beets. As such, I was excited for this salad. We took our first bites and mulled over the dish. Adam made a solid point that the balsamic vinegar’s strong presence slightly overpowered the distinct taste of other flavors of the salad. Honestly, I agreed.  Alongside, both of us also wished that the dish had a more generous serving of pistachios. However, with everything considered – it was still a quality dish overall – with bits of Italian parsley and mint layering additional flavors on the tongue.

For the main course, Adam requested a few red wines to taste. After tasting a few to find the just right one,  we both settled on glasses of Domini Veneti’s 2019  “Amarone” Classico. This was a red blend of Corvina 60%, Corvinone 15%, Rondinella 15% blend from the Valpolicella Classico region of Veneto, Italy.

The aroma of the TONNARELLI AL TARTUFO E SALSICCIA (tonnarelli, spicy sausage, Pecorino, fresh black truffle) was intoxicating. I absolutely love black truffle. Just excessively shaved, tumbling down, hit me in the face with the scent of sensual deliciousness.

On the basis of truffled pasta, Adam recommended I visit  Terroni on Beverly Blvd. I always love a good local food recommendation.

Alongside, the GRILLED TOMAHAWK PORK CHOP CON RAPINI (grilled pork chop, rapini, salmoriglio sauce) arrived to the table. I picked this as my preferred main course because I felt that the preparation of the charred sear would allow the quality of the meat to shine.

Luckily, that was exactly the case. The pork was juicy, well seasoned and had an excellence sear.   The rapini enhanced the flavor of the dish, with the salmoriglio reminding me more of a chimichurri sauce.

What I truly enjoyed during my time at Spina was the raw, unfiltered conversations I found myself having with Adam, over topics I was excited to discuss. I find that conversing over quality food brings out the high notes of what connects us all. Like swirling and savoring a glass of wine, life truly gets better as you open up and let yourself breathe into the moment.

I left dinner at Spina with a sense of contentment and full from a well lived night of dinner, connection and enjoying the magic of Los Angeles.

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