Burrata with crostini, basil, tomatos and shallots

From the folks at Eagle Rock’s Oinkster, comes Maximiliano, an “old school Italian” in Highland Park.

Maximiliano played host to date night. The first thing you’ll notice is how dark the street is and the valet – a bit much for this part of town, but appreciated. We’re always apprehensive whenever a trendy restaurant opens here. We even joked that if the food blew, we’d head to the busy taqueria across the street.

Alas, I was wrong and guilty of judging a gentrified book by it’s cover.

Dining room, courtesy Maximiliano

The mood was romantic, low lit and cozy. The restaurant reminded me of a Downtown loft with exposed pipes, beams, very high ceilings and multiple hanging pendent lights. Yelpers suggested I make a reservation, I hesitated, then finally did. Good tip–they were really busy for a Wednesday night.

We ordered the pizza of the day (fennel sausage, tomato, jalapeno), burrata app and signature olive oil ice cream. The pizza was thin crust and pretty good. It wasn’t as flavorful as I’d hoped, but nothing a little chili sprinkles can’t enhance.

The burrata app was amazing. But you’re probably thinking, when is burrata (or any cheese) not fabulous? True, but what I loved wasn’t necessarily the burrata, but the accompanying salad. Other reviewers mentioned the locally sourced organic ingredients used by Maximiliano. If this is what veggies are supposed to taste like, I’d eat veggies, and not kbbq, all the time! The baby tomatoes were so sweet and succulent, the basil was crisp and bursting with flavor. Honestly, I could have stopped at the burrata with glass merlot and called it a night.

Service was warm, attentive and very good. However, we did end up go to the taqueria…for tasty carne asada dessert 🙂

Maximiliano, 5930 York Blvd., Los Angeles, 90042, 323-739-6125