15215 Palisades Village Lane
Pacific Palisades
424-581-6515
palisadesvillageca.com/dining/edo-little-bites
Price: $$
By MICHAEL AUSHENKER | Contributing Writer
Located next door to See’s Candies and across from The Draycott at Palisades Village, Edo Little Bites arrives in Pacific Palisades with an incredible culinary lineage.
The eatery represents the latest creation of Chef Edoardo Baldi of e. baldi Ristorante and Edo italian baretto in Beverly Hills, along with Giorgio Baldi on West Channel Road, which offers legendary A-list dining. With that kind of reputation preceding it, you can bet that a lot of care and curation has gone into designing the Italian-accented treats here.
The creative offerings here focus on healthy breakfasts, including fresh pastries, salads, sandwiches and toasts. It accounts for some clean lunch and dinner fair.
And there is plenty to choose here breakfast-wise, from the recent California favorite Avocado Toast to Sfogliatella, made with apple and ricotta, and another classic, Sesame Bagel & Lox. We opted for Poached Egg Lyon, a mountain of ingredients, including turkey bacon, frisee, micro parsley, croutons and the much-promised ouva, which explodes with yolk with every bite.
There are solid starters here, including Roberta’s Meatballs, a mighty big pair lathered in marinara sauce (and named after Edoardo’s mother).
When I look back on my entire dinner, the personal pizzas were flat-out my favorite delicacies here, and I strongly recommend them. I adored the Four Cheese, a nice, crispy crust, layered with savory mozzarella, parmesan, burrata and fontina—and I can literally eat one of these every day. Ditto the Burrata with Truffle Oil, an astounding option that lives up to its name, and we also enjoyed the Margherita and Prosciutto pies.
Portion-wise, these pizzas are just right—not too big, nice and light—you won’t walk away feeling bloated after lunching on one of these, but you will feel satisfied.
After the pizzette, salads are Edo ’s strongest suit, and there are many to choose from. We tried two varieties: e.Baldi’s Famous Roasted Chicken, which offers shredded white-meat poultry with mache, frisee, scallions, avocado and celery, and Beef Filet—amazing cuts of medium-raw filet mignon on top of a bed of mixed greens, tomato and avocado. If you’re favoring fish, no problem—they have Smoked Trout, Grilled Salmon and tuna options.
Sandwiches is another category in which Edo excels. I found the Minced Tuna & Black Olive Cream delicious, but with an asterisk. It comes pressed in rustic country bread (pain rustique with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese) and served with lemon aioli.
When it was served hot, I didn’t particularly enjoy this entry, even though all of the ingredients were fresh and pure. However, I really liked my leftovers the next day. When I ate it cold, it was definitely more appreciated. So, depending on how you side with hot tuna may dictate whether or not you should order this sandwich. They do have plenty of other options, such as Grilled Cheese Panino, Ham & Brie and Prosciutto & Mozzarella.
Edo has a bakery that creates its exclusive delights, and it’s one of those dessert menus that really has no wrong moves. Flourless Chocolate Cake, moist and scrumptious, is certainly not as dry as it sounds. An Apple Tart did not last long on our plate, either.
The Bambaloni—miniature donuts—come plump with chocolate, vanilla crème or strawberry jam. Depending on the time of day, there is an array of fresh croissant—plain, almond and au chocolat—that pair well with a Caffe Mocha or Mint Mocha, both of which are not sickeningly sweet but subtle. There is also a full range of espressos, macchiatos and cappuccinos. (No alcohol is served here.)
A highly recommended beverage route: enjoy one of their signature Fresh Juice Bottles. We partook in Strawberry Lemonade and the exceedingly fresh-tasting Grapefruit, but they also sell bottles of Orange and Mint Lemonade flavors.
Not quite restaurant, not quite shop, Edo is a most curious anomaly at Palisades Village, and I very much enjoyed their commitment to Italian authenticity. For instance, they go out of their way to serve only an imported coffee brand (Lavazza).
Probably the location’s greatest flaw, though, is that it’s a bit short on indoor seating and atmosphere, particularly on the very cold winter night when we dined there. It’s basically more of a quick-stop spot than a sit-down venue. Seating is very limited indoors while the outdoor space was not favored in cold weather. However, when the Palisades warms up again, the ample patio seating is definitely the way to go.
But my nitpicks here are minimal: Edo Little Bites is definitely worth devouring. General Manager Shantala Caloni is very hospitable, informed and attentive, and she goes out of her way to make every customer feel at home.
So go try these most-enlightened morsels and, when the sun works in your favor, linger on the patio and stay a while.
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