Dinner Diaries: Conca Del Sogno X Norah
All the way from the Amalfi coast comes Norah’s latest collaboration with Conca Del Sogno.
The Amalfi coast is home to the exclusive Conca Del Sogno, a restaurant only reachable by boat. For the next five weeks Angelenos can count themselves very lucky as they are treated to a five week residency of Conca Del Sogno at Norah in West Hollywood. Spoiler, despite the rain no boat is necessary to reach this gem.
The winter residency is quite the gem for Norah. Conca Del Sogno’s exclusive collaboration menu includes culinary stars like the Pasta Nerano and of course Branzino. Norah is in-tune with the interior design demands of Italian stylings. The tablescapes are beautiful and feature lush lemons, greenery and white table clothes that transport you to the Mediterranean. The pop up lasts from now until March 2, and is possible thanks to Dorsia and featuring Malfy Italian Gin. Snag your reservation here.
Kick off your evening with their cocktails. We enjoyed their Ravello (Malfy Gin Limone, Lillet blanc, basil) and Capri (strawberry infused aperol, Prosecco) cocktails.
We enjoyed an incredible six course meal that kicked off with a traditional Insalata Conca. The tomatos were perfectly ripe, their flavor profile was perfectly balanced by the shaved celery, olives and capers that complimented one another. This dish is light with just the right touch of salt to buttery as you consume it. It’s the type of salad that makes you forget it’s raining and transports you to Italy as you sit amidst the intimate tablescapes of Norah.
If you only order one appetizer from the menu we can’t reccommend their Tartar Di Tonno enough. You only live once so make sure you get the caviar bump. The added caviar adds a layer of flavor that brings the entire dish to life and it really sings on your tastebuds. The presentation is gorgeous and the flavor is unbeatable. Don’t go without asking for this dish.
Next we enjoyed Conca Del Sogno’s Calamari. We normally don’t opt for calamari at restaurants, everyone has it and even in the best of places it can be bland. This is not that calamari! Conca Del Sogno’s calamari on the menu is such a flavorful batter and comes out perfectly crisp. We don’t know how they’ve perfected the timing but they have. You can say goodbye to soggy or over cooked calamari this dish right here is like Goldilocks finding her perfect porridge, it’s just right. If you’re a longtime calamari lover we promise you won’t be disappointed.
The Pasta Nerano was a showstopper and stole the show for us. If you’ve seen the Stanley Tucci food series where he traverses Italy and you’ve been dying for his zucchini pasta, it’s here. This is it. The pasta is simple ingredients that are just bursting to the brim with flavor. The only thing we’re upset about is that the serving size doesn’t come in a bathtub option because we’d easily hop in one to consume this masterpiece. That’s how much we think we could eat it, it’s just that tasty. The spaghetti is served with zucchini, basil, black pepper, and pecorino. Behold, the dish of our beloved affection. *Cues up heavenly music.
Of course we can’t go to Conca Del Sogno and not try their Branzino. This gorgeous fish is cooked to perfection, while maintaining its shape yet being so buttery soft and flavorful. It’s a culinary treat. Lovers of Branzino will be thrilled once this hits their tastebuds. The salt crusted sea bass is seasoned in a herb vinaigrette and laid out on a large plate with a side of lemon. It’s perfect and we can’t imagine attending this pop up and not getting this Italian staple. Let us know your thoughts once you’ve enjoyed it.
Sweet lovers, Norah has created a Nutella Mille Feuille and it is possibly (very likely) a treat people may have started wars over in the past. It is just that delicious. Nevermind the fact that if given the option to have Nutella as an IV, we would. Their Nutella Mille Feuille is so well crafted even tried and true anti-sweet people will want more. We’ll let the images speak for themselves, this is one of those times we really wish you could smell through looking at images.
