"At first glance, it may look like just another quick-order take-out corner eatery. But it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s so much more. This Italian corner cafe boasts lots of pluses in our book. Our first visit to the establishment on a Friday night proved to be a great one. Not having been there before, I called and asked what their corkage fee was. The gentleman on the line chuckled a bit, and asked me if I was instead looking for the original Vitello’s Restaurant in nearby Studio City. After I told him I was sure I had the right place, he simply told me, “If you bring your own wine, your own corkscrew and your own wine glasses, there IS NO CORKAGE FEE”. That was enough for me. I told my husband, and we headed to Vitello’s Express for dinner, not knowing what we would expect. We arrived at the corner restaurant after dark. It was still wet from hours of rain earlier in the day, and we avoided puddles as we walked from our parking space to the establishment. Once there, we noticed their patio dining area was enclosed in plastic curtains to keep the rain out and that it had an unexpected yet delightful casual charm. The seating area was much larger than the inside area, which housed a few window seats for the quick bite, the ordering counter and access to the kitchen. We made eye contact with a gentleman working there, who we later learned was named “Trey”, who was very nice, and motioned to a corner area within the outdoor concealed space. He came out and welcomed us warmly, and mentioned that when we’re ready, we would have to order and pay inside, then they would bring our food out to us. We chose a table we liked among the several seating options, then went inside the small indoor area to order. We chose a 14 cheese pizza and two glasses of water with lemon to accompany the bottle of Pinot Noir we brought to go with dinner. We then paid and returned to our selected spot outside”. The seating area was very cozy and accommodating considering the “Walk-In-And-Order” kind of place this seemed to be. The owners make a point to provide fresh flowers in soda bottles on each table, professional outdoor heaters for chilly evenings, colorful tiled black and red tabletops, romantic candlelight, lots of potted palms and plants around, a gas fireplace and all the accoutrements for an Italian dinner: parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, etc. It was nice. Very nice. Very unexpected. And we were both quite satisfied about the value of the overall experience we received for the money. Between the two of us, we had 2 and 1 2 slices of pizza left over, which our waiter was happy to provide a to-go box to us for taking home. After that, my husband and I just sat and lingered for another half hour as we watched as the two and a half lone slices of pizza seemed to huddle together on the pizza pan to stay warm in the unexpected chill of the night air. We, of course, had the stand-up heater hovering above us to keep the chill away. My husband and I enjoyed another glass of wine, the candlelight, and each other’s company. We asked one another if we would return to this spot. As we both concurred simultaneously, I made a mental note in my mind, a physical note in my writer’s notebook that I carry everywhere with me, and a back-up notation in my iPhone and smiled happily at my husband in compliance of a no-fuss, easy, extremely reasonable, fairly romantic evening out. On an alternate visit, another couple joined us and was curious about the place and everything we had mentioned about it. Pizza, casual, AND romantic and candle-lit? Sounded too good to be true. But they realized once they arrived that what we told them was in fact a wonderful reality. There was no rain that evening, so the plastic rain curtains were rolled up allowing for a clear view of the evening sky and the busy day coming to a more calm place as the evening stretched onward. Our dinner mates brought a bottle of wine also, so we all enjoyed two bottles of vino together in the wine glasses my husband and I brought. Our friends ordered a Caesar Salad, which they split, the Meatball Sandwich and the Penne Siciliana (sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, grilled chicken, olive oil and broccoli . My husband ordered Jon’s Lasagna, while I decided on the Chicken Arugula salad (baby arugula, cherry tomatoes, grilled chicken, pine nuts and goat cheese with a tarragon dressing . The portion sizes did not disappoint. Nor did the quality or price tag on these scrumptious selections off the menu. (All photos of the dishes described can be seen at SavorHour.com . Some other items we’ve enjoyed at Vitello’s Express include the following: the Chicken Parmesan (my husband had it baked, not breaded served over spaghetti in a savory marinara sauce with a grilled crostini on the side, single slices of Vegetable Pizza and Cheese Pizza…by candlelight, of course! The Vitello’s BBQ Chicken Salad with sautee onions and mozzarella, crispy tortilla strips and sliced chicken breast tossed in a delicious tangy barbeque sauce. From the Vitello’s Express “Specials” board next to the ordering counter inside…the Chicken Cefalu with breaded chicken, onions, tomato sauce and mushrooms layered with eggplant and Fontina cheese over spaghetti was both flavorful and rewarding. (My husband got angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti with this dish, which the restaurant was happy to do . DECOR ESTABLISHMENT: Owners make a point to make patrons feel welcome in this “outdoor” indoor locale. Candles on the tables, fresh flowers, semi-romantic setting at night. Cozy seating in the “outdoor” area complete with standing heaters for chilly nights as well as a gas fireplace for a romantic intimate ambiance. At times, the traffic can get a bit boisterous, but overall, that tends to fade into the background with all of the other high points to this establishment. Also, the place can get a bit crowded before 8:30PM in the evenings, so if you’re hoping for some quiet time and not too may people, plan to get there about 8:45PM like we do usually. FOOD DRINK: Fresh ingredients, preparation was without flaw to our observation. The pizza includes a zesty pizza sauce that’s not too salty and not too sweet. A crunchy, but not too crispy crust holds all the melty cheese together with the sauce. Delicious! The salads are crisp and freshly made, the pasta and lasagna were cooked to perfection, and the sandwich was enormous and was big enough to actually take half home for the next day’s lunch. The potato salad that accompanied the Meatball Sandwich was creamy, flavorsome and left us wanting more. We brought our own wine with us on multiple visits, so we had no complaints about that! LOCATION: 13702 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91423. Convenient Studio City popular corner locale. There is a small lot behind the restaurant, but we prefer taking advantage of the metered street parking for better ease and availability on a busy weekend night. HOURS: Vitello’s Express advertises its hours as Sunday through Thursday from 11 AM to 10 PM, then on Friday and Staurday from 11 AM – Midnight. SERVICE STAFF: Friendly, warm, welcoming. Seemed genuinely happy to see us. PRICE VALUE: Thus far, the best value for the money we’ve found. (But we’re still looking! CORKAGE FEE: None (But bring your own wine, glasses, and corkscrew! CONTACT INFO: Phone – (818 788-5005, Website: [hidden link] PARKING: There is a lot behind Vitello’s as well as metered street parking. TOTAL BILL:$14.14 (including tax the evening my husband and I ordered the 14-inch pizza, then $21.75 (including tax on the night we ordered the Lasagna and the Chicken Arugula Salad. Our friends selections totalled $28.28 (including tax , and were happily surprised what they got for it. Both times, topped off with a bottle of wine with no corkage charge! Quite a deal."
