Pasta Palace

I have written here before — here, for instance — about Andre's, a little Italian cafeteria that I frequent in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles, across the street from the world-famous Farmers Market. Andre's isn't much on decor but there's a reason locals love it so much. It sells great, fresh Italian food for very low prices. It's a friendly place with great service and the only complaint I have is that at dinner time on weekends, there's a long, long line out the door.

A lot of what I've written here about Andre's has been about the current threat to its very existence. It's in a shopping center that is soon to undergo major renovation. When this will happen and what will be done have both changed several times but most of the announced plans would have meant that Andre's would close for many months and perhaps never reopen. This may all change but at the moment, Andre's only seems safe through about June of next year.

So in the meantime, the manager of Andre's opened a clone of it out in the Valley. It's called Grandi Italiani and it's located in Canoga Park on Sherman Way, a few blocks east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. It's the exact same food at the exact same prices and the exact same management. Unfortunately, it is not getting the exact same crowds coming in to eat spaghetti and ravioli and lasagna and pizza and other tasty items.

It's tough to establish a new restaurant…even one operated by experienced management offering a tested-and-proved menu. It can take a long time to build up a following and sometimes the investment becomes too great. That's what's happened with Grand Italiani. The folks in and around that area just haven't discovered its wonderfulness yet. It's in serious jeopardy of closing in the next week or three.

If you live in Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Reseda, West Hills or anywhere around it, go there immediately and take all your hungry friends. You will all think, "Hey, we've got to keep this place open." Grand Italiani is open every day except Mondays, 11:30 AM to 8 PM. The address is 21730 Sherman Way in Canoga Park and you can preview its menu right here. Buon Appetito!