Pappardelle al Cioccolato

Pappardelle al Cioccolato con Salsa d'Aragosta. Even if you don't speak Italian, you probably can guess what cioccolato means....yes, it's chocolate. Pappardelle is a flat, broad pasta about 3/4-1 inch in width.  This is a specialty dish served at the very sophisticated and classy restaurant Valentino's in Santa Monica, California.

My friend and I celebrated her birthday there last night. She has never been to Valentino's (but I forgive her) and was impressed as soon as our server Paul, explained the specials to us and how he intended to surprise us with the wine. My friend can only drink a glass of wine and since I definitely cannot finish a bottle on my own, we decided to order by the glass. He suggested we start with a white wine (1/2 glass each) and have another full bodied red with our entree.  We opted to stick with red so he opened a bottle of Italian red wine and had us both try it. Very drinkable indeed. It was perfect with the soft shell crab we ordered as an appetizer. This was the best soft shell crab. It was served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes with some greens and the best part was the orange sauce which they served on the side so you could either drizzle some or have the crab swimming in it. (Mine was doing a breast stroke to stay afloat )

For our entree, we had the pappardelle made with chocolate although you don't really taste chocolate per se since it is mixed in with the flour when they make the pasta. This was served with roma tomatoes and lobster chunks. I have had this many times in the past and I always have to order it. My friend and I split that order and ordered another pasta. We had the Setaro Paccheri Salsa Bolognese. This bolognese ragu was very good, it hardly needed parmesan cheese but since I am a parmesan addict, I had to have a light shower over the pasta.

Dessert time...since it was my friend's birthday, I refused to share desserts. She had to have her own. Twisted her arm again and talked her into ordering the Il Budino alla Vaniglia e Croccante, which was a vanilla and praline pudding with almond orange. The orange gave it a nice zing. I decided on the Tiramisu with coffee sauce and seasonal sorbet. It was not bad at all since I finished the big serving. I could not determine the  flavor of the sorbet. It was dark, fruity and it had tiny crunchy balls in it. I forgot to ask Paul, another reason to go back.

Valentino is currently offering a $25 discount to all Open Table members who request it from their server. (restrictions apply) Ask for Paul who has worked there for 13 years; you can tell he enjoys what he does and that makes all the difference in the world to make your dining experience unforgettable.