Miceli's Restaurant

Tonight six of my closest friends got together for dinner at Miceli's in Universal City. Miceli's is a classic Italian restaurant with a twist. Located on Cahuenga, there is only a tiny bit of metered street parking and then valet. We were presently surprised to learn that valet parking was free--tip only.

We arrived around 7:10pm and there were a fair amount of people waiting in the bar area. We were told the wait would be about 30 minutes. It was. There was a lot of seating for people waiting. While we were waiting there was a little riff between the managers and a customer about a tablecloth--it was a little nerve wreaking because I think the customer was kicked out. So, when you go, whatever you do, don't mention the tablecloths.

A couple minutes after we arrived we got to the "twist" part of the Italian restaurant. In the center of the restaurant was a drumset, speakers and a pianist. At Miceli's the wait staff sings, and this isn't any cheap karaoke either, this is real singing with really good voices.

We were seated in the same room as the singing and promptly asked for our drink orders. Someone came and dropped off a bowl of butter and a basket of warm rolls which they placed on a metal stand over the candle. The rolls were delicious. They were fresh baked and unlike other restaurants, the butter melted right into them because both the butter and the rolls were warm. The bread was just the right amount of chewy and crusty.

The menu was filled with pastas and other classic Italian dishes such as chicken parmigiana. At our table, the following dishes were ordered, spinach lasagna, classic lasagna with a meatball, chicken fettuccine, chicken Milanese, chicken cannelloni and chicken parmigiana. While we were waiting for our food our waiter and another waiter went up and sang a song. It is very neat to see the wait staff singing and playing the drums and it gives you something to do when there is a lull in conversation. However, sitting right next to them the music was a tiny bit loud--especially if there was conversation taking place.

The food had mixed reviews. It doesn't come with anything included except what is listed. A side salad sets you back four bucks. The portions, however, are pretty big. I had the spinach lasagna and it wasn't exactly what I expected. I was nervous when ordering it because not only is it layered with spinach but also spinach pasta. It was a spinach overload. It also didn't seem to be baked together but instead just layered right before serving with the sauce poured over the top instead of inside. I sort of wish that this had been better explained--if I ordered the lasagna again, which I probably wouldn't do, I would have it "baked" with the mozzarella on top. As it was, the globs of ricotta tasted a little bit like scrambled eggs.

The people that had the dishes that are less popular such as the Milanese and cannelloni found their food to be pretty good. I am interested in trying the pizza next time. I think I just ordered the wrong thing. The thing is, I will definitely go back. The prices are pretty reasonable, the food is above average, and the entertainment is first class. It's like going to Disneyland without leaving Los Angeles.





Miceli's Restaurant
3655 Cahuenga Blvd W.
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Map