The Pasta Giada De Laurentiis Considers The Most Italian In Los Angeles

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Chef, television personality, and longtime Angeleno Giada De Laurentiis may have moved to Los Angeles as a child, but she's held on tight to her Italian roots. The Rome-born Food Network star has cultivated her culinary connection to the motherland through a series of cook books, television shows (including her debut cooking show, "Everyday Italian"), and even her own food and lifestyle brand, Giadzy. 

No matter how full her plate is business-wise, a girl's gotta eat — and she can't always jet off to Italy when she wants an authentic meal (that she doesn't have to prepare herself). When De Laurentiis is craving some pasta that tastes like home, she can head to Toscana. A self-described "neighborhood trattoria" in Brentwood, the restaurant mainly focuses on Northern Italian fare hailing from Tuscany. But while it may not be doing things as the Romans do, its cuisine is the real deal, according to De Laurentiis.

As she expressed in an interview with The Infatuation, Toscana's pasta is the closest thing she can find to a legit Italian plate in LA. As for her go-to order? None other than pasta with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Also known as aglio e olio, it's a simple dish that her grandfather, legendary Hollywood film producer Dino De Laurentiis, used to whip up during family stays on the island of Capri. If Toscana could perfect that classic, it's no wonder it was able to steal the star's heart.

Toscana first opened its doors in Brentwood back in 1989 as the passion project of husband-and-wife restaurateurs Mike and Kathie Gordon, along with friend and musician Doc Severinsen. Their goal was to bring the flavors and traditions that they fell in love with in Tuscany to their little corner of sunny California. The Italian eatery soon became a fixture among A-list celebrities and Hollywood bigwigs.

The establishment prioritizes farm-to-table ingredients and rustic recipes, with a menu full of old-school Italian favorites, including lamb, veal, and seafood. Of course, it's the restaurant's pasta program that got a nod from Giada De Laurentiis. Much of Toscana's pasta is made in-house, which may explain why folks find that it tastes so authentic. And while the celebrity chef hails her simple (and technically off-menu) order of aglio e olio, you'll find no shortage of mouthwatering pasta options, including pappardelle with wild mushrooms, parmigiano reggiano and mascarpone, spaghetti with clams, and ravioli in a creamy radicchio sauce.

De Laurentiis isn't the only Italian foodie who's been left impressed. "I do not know what took me so long to visit this place. I am Italian and it's been hard finding a place that makes a good plate of proper Italian pasta, but finally I found it," enthused one five-star reviewer on Yelp. Meanwhile, a longtime regular explained why they keep coming back: "The food is comforting and outstanding."