The Divine Dish

Dinner at Lago D’Argento, Silverlake

Lago D'Argento, Silverlake

Located next to Barbarella Bar in Silverlake, Lago D’Argento is a new modern open mellow trattoria serving up very affordable and delicious salads, sides, and signature pizzas.

Inside

Inside

The ceilings and walls are huge chalkboards with assorted written messages while down below is a cozy atmosphere with comfy red leather booths and banquettes, hardwood floors, plenty of candles and one big communal table.

Chef Jay Mendoza

Chef Jay Mendoza, formally the pastry chef at Churchill and Ortolan, is running the kitchen and doing a great job.  He invented Lago’s signature pizza dough, which is made of a secret combination of much more than flour and water.  That’s why the pizzas here are just as delicious as those costing three times as much over the hill at Mozza.  What makes Lago such a gem is the quality of food for the price – big tasty pizzas start at $9 and their specialty pizzas run up to $13, much less than most pizzerias and one of the best pizzas I have tasted.   Here is what my friend Monica and I sampled while we dined at Lago D’Argento:

Lago Chopped Salad

We started with the Lago Chopped Salad with salami, mozzarella, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata cheese over mixed greens with a tangy sherry vinaigrette.  Very tasty.

Charred carrots

Next came out some delicious charred carrots – a top seller at the restaurant.  Farm fresh charred carrots are topped with creamy burrata, toasted almonds and fennel, mint and brown butter and honey.  We loved this side dish.

Bianca pizza

Chef Mendoza sent out a tasty Bianca pizza with fontina, mozzarella, smoked gouda and parmesan cheeses and crispy sage.  Enough to feed three hungry people and only $9.  What a deal!  The dough on all pizzas is made fresh daily and is delicious.

Diners can also choose from a variety of pizzas including pear, gorgonzola and arugula; duck sausage; truffles; and fig jam and goat cheese to name a few combinations, all $13 or under!!

spinach gnocchi

We also were sent out a lovely spinach gnocchi topped with lamb ragu and ricotta cheese.  Also delicious.

Ginger cucumber martini

Drinks are also a great value at $10 for huge glasses.  Monica had a nice ginger cucumber martini with vodka, muddled cucumber, ginger syrup and lemon juice.    We also sampled their sangria which had notes of cinnamon, also very tasty.

Monica, enjoying the bianca pizza

We ended our meal with Chef Mendoza’s signature white chocolate bread pudding.

white chocolate bread pudding

We loved this dessert – white chocolate sauce and mixed berries over a yummy savory bread pudding.  It’s well worth a trip to Silverlake to taste Chef Mendoza’s signature pizzas (and special dough) and other delicious dishes.  I don’t know another spot where you can get a great meal for under $20 for two people.   You’ll save enough money for a walk  to LaMill for an after dinner specialty espresso.  Reservations recommended, 323/300-5500, Lago D’Argento is located at 2611 North Hyperion Avenue.