Drago is our neighborhood go-to restaurant. We have known Celestino Drago for years and not only has he aged very well over the years, but he is as gracious as ever.

New amuse - tuna tartare on a potato crisp - good, but I do miss the Arancini

Grilled Santa Barbara prawns on caponata with basil oil, drops of balsamic, topped with crispy garlic strips- the prawns were head on and just meant for sucking every bit. The caponata was perfect and a great compliment to the prawns.

Risotto with sausage and Spaghetti Bottarga - cured tuna roe, garlic, bread crumbs, EVO- this is my husband's favorite combination and Drago always does a split of the two.

Tortelloni filled with pumpkin, sage, butter and Parmesan cheese - October food and "homey" delicious.

BYO wine, A quick lunch that just hit the right notes.

Dianne Porchia takes the Olive Oil Challenge to an "Italian Master"

The celebrated Celestino Drago, maestro of several noted regional Italian restaurants in Southern California, has built a small empire on the culinary traditions he inherited growing up on a farm in Sicily—one that produced all the family’s food. “The only things my family bought in the store were sugar and salt,” he remembers.

Today, Chef Celestino and his fi ne-dining destinations—Drago, Enoteca Drago and Il Pastaiao—are consistently rated in the top fi ve Italian experiences in Los Angeles, while his bakery in Culver City, Dolce Forno, supplies numerous restaurants, hotels, caterers and even Quantas Airlines with freshly baked ciabatta, focaccia, breadsticks, pasta, ravioli and pastries. “When I was a little boy,” Celestino relates, “I remember pressing olives with my parents. We would take fresh baked bread and pour the olive oil on the bread straight from the press, then sprinkle with a little salt. Magnifico!”

When sampling Wombat Australian extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), Celestino refers to the “hand” of the maker as very “clean” that is, not allowing the olives to suffer damage or fermentation and avoiding bitterness. “Even 24 hours can be critical because heat can be created, causing a chemical reaction to the fruit. That’s why it’s important that the olives be pressed the same day as harvest and that transportation from the fi eld to the press is minimal,” the chef explains. “Like breaking open an orange, the fi rst emission of juice from the press is sweet and pure fruit, but when your fi ngers disrupt the outer rind, you taste bitterness.”

In our olive oil chef’s challenge, we compared the Australian EVOO to an Umbrian EVOO in lovely plate of carpaccio de branzino, asparago riciclato, juzu (sea bass with warmed asparagus, micro greens and Japanese juzu sauce), splitting it in half, using the Aussie oil on one side and the Umbrian on the other. The subtle Australian oil melded the delicate fl avors of the sea bass, asparagus and micro greens, while the Umbrian oil overpowered the fi sh and citrus sauce with its strong, peppery fi nish.

The opposite was true when comparing the two oils with sautéed fresh tomatoes and basil. In this case the delicate Australian oil was undetectable in the marinara sauce, while the more assertive Umbrian oil added a nice peppery fi nish to the robust fl avor of the cooked tomatoes and basil.

Finally, we tried a comparison in a zuppa di fagioli (bean soup) with fresh herbs. Here it was a matter of personal taste. The Australian oil enhanced the cannelloni beans, while the Umbrian oil added some pepper. Both were excellent.

Like all true Italians, we accompanied our meal with Celestino’s freshly baked bread, ritually rubbed with a freshly peeled garlic clove and ceremoniously dipped into a plate of alternating olive oils, with cracked herbed sea salt. Molto bellissimo!

Dianne Porchia
Patterson's TASTING PANEL MAGAZINE

Darius of Persia, leader of the world's first true empire, was fond of ostrich and the occasional smoked camel hump. On his way to the North Pole, Admiral Robert Peary noshed on dried bison and boar. Winston Churchill frequently tucked into a guinea fowl, and Teddy Roosevelt was no stranger to a plate of freshly dispatched elk. The great men of history loved their game.

Game dining is making a comeback. Elk, boar, kangaroo and quail are showing up on menu lists, and not just as whimsical appetizers. Dozens of high-end restaurants around the country are catering to open-minded carnivores. If you want to eat like the gentlemen of yore, or simply explore the outer reaches your palette, there are plenty of luxury dining options out there.

"Historically game went from being a means of survival to a celebratory exclamation," said Brad Farmerie, the head chef at New York's Public. "I still feel that it is slightly decadent and sumptuous, although the days of gold-encrusted swan are way behind us, thank God." At Farmerie's buzzing restaurant in Soho, you'll find roast goat rack, cured wild boar, and kangaroo served three ways.

"The presence of game dishes on a menu shows a serious level of food, because it's usually the true foodies that order them," said Chef Brian Pekarcik of San Diego's Arterra, where celebs like Jacques Pepin, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods feast on "roasted quail two ways" -- with forest mushroom and cous cous, or in the Sous Vide style with confit tomato and foie gras.

Game dishes on high-end menus connote class and history, as well as a hip global eclecticism. At Cafe Juanita on the Puget Sound, diners can enjoy crisp veal sweetbreads with Pantellarian capers and Ligurian olive oil -- a favorite dish of Ancient Rome's General Lucullus. Julius Caesar, another legendary gourmand, would have teared up at the sight of the pan roasted rabbit at Drago Ristorante in Los Angeles. "Game adds real structure and integrity to a menu," said Chef Celestino Drago, whose eponymous restaurant has a long list of reservations for its annual game meal.

Three of the 20th century's great alpha males -- Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway -- were all big fans of shooting their own dinner. At the sleek Whist restaurant in Santa Monica, California, you'll find a bacon wrapped roasted elk tenderloin that would have made Papa and Teddy proud. And at Philadelphia's Le Bec Fin, head chef Georges Perrier serves guinea hen with confit of lemon that would have surely cockled the heart of the original British Bulldog.

We rousted up 10 legendary game dishes from some of the country's finest restaurants, and as we think you'll agree, these meals hearken back to antiquity while remaining undeniably unique. Happy hunting.

On another day, a customer ordered veal piccata, which Drago lightly floured and cooked to perfection with white wine, capers and fresh parsley. To his surprise, the diner sent it back. "He wanted bell peppers and cheese and I don't even know what else. I explained to him that was not piccata. He was sure he was right: 'Listen to me, you little kid,' he said. 'I've been eating veal piccata since before you were born, and I sure as hell know what goes in it.'"

At that moment, Drago knew he had to open his own restaurant. He believed that if he served the dishes he loved from childhood, his customers would learn to love them too. Still, he faced yet another problem: Americans in those days considered only Northern Italian cuisine worth eating; they had not yet discovered the joys of the sun-drenched Southern regions. Drago had to slowly introduce the dishes he most wanted to cook.

One of his favorites was vegetable timbale. "This dish defines my palate, my birthplace," says Drago, who was raised on a farm that produced all the family's food. "The only things my family bought in the store were sugar and salt," he remembers. "I had never cooked in a Sicilian restaurant—or even eaten in a fancy one." His father used to regularly prepare a stewlike vegetable dish, which the family loved. Years later, at his restaurant, Drago combined the recipe with eggs, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce and a bit of cheese. The result stands on its own as a simple yet flavorful ode to his childhood: "For me, this dish is my father."

Drago's story is, in the end, as sunny as Sicily's climate. Los Angeles diners grew to adore his regional cooking and he was surprised by how easily he achieved success there. After twenty-five years, he is an icon who introduced the pleasures of southern Italy to American palates. Drago now sits atop a mini empire; his restaurants include Drago Ristorante, Celestino, L'Arancino, il Pastaio, Enoteca Drago, a bakery in Culver City and a catering company. Drago has consistently been ranked one of the top Italian restaurants in Los Angeles since opening Drago in 1991. And it all came about by being true to himself, his country and, of course, his father's timbale.

Italian Regional Cooking
American Style A long way from pasta with tomato sauce, authentic Italian Cuisine comes in many delicious forms

DRAGO A Jewel in the Crown of Authentic Italian Restaurants

...Celestino Drago left his home in Galati Mamartino, Sicily, nearly two dozen years ago, and today has a small empire of authentic Italian eateries, from Il Pastaio to Enoteca Drago. The jewel in the crown, through, is Drago, his art filled Santa Monica, restaurant serving regioanl cuisine...
- California Homes April 2002

DRAGO
location: 2628 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403
reservations: 310.828.1585
room capacity: 24
food type: Sophisticated Regional Italian
fun fact: Diners can enjoy different delicacies from each of the four seasons

overview: This jewel in Santa Monica has been wowing critics and locals alike since 1991, winning accolades and awards for master chef/owner Celestino Drago. Since its opening, Drago has consistently been rated in the top 5 Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. Drago is decorated with beautiful custom celadon suede chairs, warm rustic tones and popular artwork from local artists. A favorite for intimate gatherings is the private wine cellar located adjacent to the bar. Daily specials reflecting seasonal changes are available in addition to the chef’s special pre-fixed tasting menus. With a commitment to excellence and old-world charm, Drago consistently delivers the best regional Italian cuisine that Southern California has to offer.