Since Il Piccolo Verde opened its doors in September 2013 on Barrington Place just below Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood, it has been making a name for itself by preparing tasty food that’s healthy all while offering a fine dining atmosphere without breaking the bank.
Even more, the restaurant prides itself on serving gluten-free and health conscious food, with many menu items prepared with unrefined cold pressed oils, organic ingredients, and fresh greens.
Michael Schwartz and Oscar Morel brought the airy restaurant, which has a classy yet casual atmosphere, to life in Brentwood. While Schwartz used his business savvy to make sure the doors stay open, Morel uses his extensive experience in the restaurant world to keep the customers coming back for more.
On a recent Friday afternoon when The Mirror visited the restaurant, an elder couple casually sat at a patio table enjoying some bread and pizza.
Indeed, Il Piccolo Verde offers fresh-baked breads and a wide wood-oven cooked pizzas.
With “pizza as it once was,” the “Pizza Napoletana” menu offers Naples-inspired pies with soft, foldable, and “wet” dough.
According to the menu, the Naples-themed pizzas are cooked in word burning ovens that reach temperatures of 800 to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, which cook the pizzas in about a minute and causes the crust to get slightly charred and blackened.
The menu further states the oven used at the restaurant was handmade by the Marra family in Naples using sand and ash from Mount Vesuvius.
There are 10 pizzas to choose from on this menu, including Marinara, Margherita, Pepperoni Salami, Vegetariana, and Verde.
Also on the menu are New York-style pizzas, such as Cheese & Sauce, Hawaiian, Pepperoni & Sausage, Pollo-e-Pesto, and Vegetarian.
If you seek more than bread or pizza, there are also traditional pastas, meat dishes, and seafood fare.
Yet the highlight of the Il Piccollo Verde menu is its natural green selection. After all, “Verde” does mean “green.”
There are 11 items on the Natural Green menu, from the simple Verde Salad and Ocean Vegetable Salad to the signature Quinoa Al Rapini, Amaranth Polente with Shitake Mushrooms, Pollo Cacciatore, Lemon Chicken Naturale, and others.
For those in the area before 4 pm, there are a handful of lunch specials. One special is a grilled rib-eye steak with arugula and Swiss cheese. Another offers meatballs with marinara and mozzarella cheese. A vegetarian dish offers roasted bell peppers, baked eggplant, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella cheese.
On the dessert menu, the tiramisu and crème brûlée are most popular, though there is also a homemade vanilla soufflé, custard pie with almonds, two types of cheesecake, cannoli, gelato, and sorbet.
Prices range from $7 to $30 for main course items.
For a complete description of menu items and food options, visit the restaurant’s website at ilpiccoloverde.com.
The restaurant is open everyday for lunch and dinner and is located at 140 South Barrington Place in Brentwood, just west of the intersection of Barrington Avenue and Sunset Boulevard.
Il Piccolo Verde does cater and is available for private parties. Individual reservations can be made on Open Table. The restaurant also accepts food orders online or by phone at 310.472.4939.
