THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Ponte

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Ponte Restaurant Review:

About the partners: Restaurateur Stéphane Bombet (Faith & Flower, Hanjip) bid adieu to Terrine and partnered with chef Scott Conant to open The Ponte in its place. (In Conant's hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut, there's a community of expats from the Italian town of Pontelandolfo nicknamed "Pontes," hence the restaurant's name.)

Décor: You won't be able to miss the blue and yellow façade on Beverly Boulevard. Inside, the décor has been redone, with booths and chairs in soft, muted tones. Wooden dividers partially screen a section of the dining area from the bar and cozy lounge at the front entrance. The sprawling tree on the back patio still welcomes happy crowds under its shade.

Likes: the patio.
Dislikes: we were somewhat disappointed by the food, not up to Conant's reputation.

Food & Drinks: The cooking here is more rustic than the modern approach we've enjoyed from Conant. Honestly, we were somewhat disappointed, starting with the fact that some of the dinnerware doesn’t match this style of cuisine. Seafood dishes are generally more successful than their meaty counterparts, with notable exceptions including the Tuscan style chicken liver paté. From the antipasti section, we recommend the grilled octopus and yellowfin tuna and hamachi tartare. Conant's famous spaghetti pomodoro is, of course, on the menu, alongside braised duck agnolotti with foie gras emulsion --- a must for foie gras fans. Moving on to the entrées, our roasted branzino was perfectly cooked and complemented by salsa verde, roasted leeks, clams and cipollini onions. The wood-burning oven also turns out pizzas and sides of seasonal vegetables. You might be tempted to order the tiramisu affogato upon seeing the espresso sauce poured over the dessert. However, we prefer the banana budino with rum caramel and toffee. The beverage program highlights Italian aperitivo- and digestivo-themed cocktails, including a Negroni flight. Italy dominates the wine list and draft beers, while the bottled brews favor California.