Aroma

Aroma Restaurant Review:

Edin Marroquin, chef-owner of Aroma, started cooking at age 18, and his résumé includes a 15-year stint in the kitchen of Valentino. His Silver Lake mini-mall storefront doesn’t offer much in the way of design, but his heartfelt, authentic cooking has had locals lining up since day one. Aroma’s salad of baby mixed greens ranks way above ordinary, with its trio of radicchio leaves under lettuce, along with small cubes of very fresh mozzarella, slivers of asparagus cut on the diagonal and chopped ripe tomatoes, all splashed with a quality, aged balsamic vinegar. Starters range from jumbo lump crab cake to creamed spinach with polenta. Pastas are plentiful; consider the linguine with clams and fettuccine Alfredo. Mains include veal saltimbocca, chicken Marsala and Prime rib-eye steak grilled with herbs. Specials might include crêpes with porcini mushrooms and truffles, or osso buco with risotto. For the best experience, opt for Marroquin’s tasting menu, which seems to change daily. Marroquin makes his own crème brûlée, tiramisu and panna cotta. The wine list features selections from Italy and California.