Bucato: Pasta Fatta a Mano

Inside the doors of Culver City’s Bucato, the beating heart of this narrow Italian restaurant is found neither in the dining room nor in the kitchen, but in a room upstairs, isolated from the chaos of the cooks. The room is modest in its design; simple yet beautiful. A clock hangs on white walls, frosted windows overlook the restaurant below, and large wooden tables dusted with flour are centerstage.

Welcome to the pasta lab, the beating heart of Bucato.

With no pasta machines or electric mixers in sight, I watched Chef Evan Funke bestow the ancient tradition of pasta fatta a mano (handmade pasta) before me with such delicate care and speed. I’ve never seen anything like it; it was mesmerizing. Flour rained from above, eggs were cracked against each other, dough was rolled, and the tiniest shapes became alive with the hands that cared for them. One by one, they grew in numbers. Time stood still and every bit of sound was amplified as I stood in awe listening to the heartbeat of Bucato.

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Bucato
3280 Helms Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034

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Bucato: Pasta Fatta a Mano

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