Filippo Trani opened the Majestic Cafe in 1925. In 1937, his 13-year-old son joined him, and the tradition passed from father to son over 75 years. Almost 90 years later, the fourth generation of Trani's carries on the tradition at J. Trani's. I have known about this restaurant but have never tried it. Our friend Sugar invited us last Wednesday.
The place was warm and cozy. We got there when they opened, but it did not take long for it to fill up. They got very busy on a Wednesday evening. Sugar had been at the restaurant before, so she knew we had to order the Pork Belly as one of our appetizers. It had white chili puree, crispy garlic, pickled shallots, and sweet soy. That was super delicious, as was the Grilled Calamari Milanese with Parmesan cheese, crispy parsley, lemon olive oils, and their majestic tartar sauce. Our server raved about some in-house brined Olives served with garlic cheese bread. None of us was impressed with that. The olives were mainly pits, and there was little meat in them.
Sugar ordered the Local Sea Bass with lemon butter caper sauce. It came with mashed potatoes, but she opted for double spinach instead. She was disappointed with it because she thought it was overcooked, unlike Zohreh's Swordfish, which was delicate and delicious. I can see myself ordering that at another time.
Sandi had the Rigatoni Special Sauce with short rib ragu, bolognese, arugula, and feta. Only, she had them substitute the rigatoni for penne pasta. Her pasta was very good; much better than my Steak Linguine with sautéed ribeye, garlic, parsley, tomato, and mozzarella. The ribeye was not as tender as I would have liked it. I did have an issue, though. I asked for Parmesan cheese, and it never came. I saw our server merrily serving other guests and knew she had forgotten because time passed, and my pasta was getting cold. I finally got up and chased her. She said they were getting it. She finally came and apologized, but it was too late. I had just a few bites and had to take it home as it was already cold.
We shared a Banana Foster Bread Pudding, which hit the spot. It was tasty.
J. Trani's is at 584 W. 9th St. in San Pedro, California.
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