Datebook Diner: Latin King still rules

Shrimp Angela at the Latin King Restaurant. (Credit: Christopher Gannon/The Register)

No matter where you are from in this country, you probably have your favorite hometown "been there forever" Italian-American restaurant - and if anyone from elsewhere blows into town and tells you it's no good, well, them's fightin' words.

That's exactly what happened a few weeks ago when a friend who used to live in L.A. started vilifying the Latin King in a way that made me start rolling up my sleeves. Turns out, she had requested something not on the menu (a pasta primavera). It made me want to go to Hollywood and order Steak de Burgo.

After the steam quit billowing out of my ears, I invited her and her L.A.-born spouse to go to Latin King to try what this restaurant is really good at. At the end of the meal, neither ended up raving (they noted that the sides didn't hold up and that the tiramisu was disappointing, and I do agree), but they did see another side of the King.

MENU: Italian-American, with pasta, steaks, Italian specialties, salads, sandwiches and more.

BEST BITES: If you like Steak de Burgo, this is the place to get it; everyone around the table raved about the superior cut of rich, tender meat. It never occurred to me that someone could think the sauce was too "buttery" (I mean, I thought that was the point!) but these L.A. cats thought so. I, however, happily finished what they thought was too much.

No one complained about the Chicken Spiedini, a Latin King classic of breaded then broiled chicken kabobs; choose the olive-oil based sauce over the Alfredo. The Shrimp Angelo also received thumbs up; it's a fresh-and-simple style dish of sauteed butterflied shrimp in a delicate white wine and butter sauce punctuated by soft, mellow slivers of garlic.

Garnering mixed reviews was the gnocchi; the kitchen makes its own, and I found it to be tender and light, while one of my bi-coastal buddies pronounced it mushy.

NEEDS WORK: Run-of-the-mill salads generally arrive overdressed (though the signature creamy parmesan dressing is grand). The minestrone tasted ordinary.

Ironically, the diner with the least-satisfying dish was me, but then that usually happens when I go for something other than my tried-and-true favorites. The Spaghetti Scarpara brought a huge pile of pasta in a nondescript tomato-based sauce.

DESSERT? The Tartuffo - raspberry gelato robed in chocolate - bests the oddly mealy tiramisu every time.

BOTTOM LINE: I still love the King - but I do wish I could find a few more dishes I like as well as the Spiedini, the Steak de Burgo and the Shrimp Angelo.

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