More More – Pasta Sisters in Culver City
Author:Abigail StoneIn 2016, our Instagram feed suddenly became a visual feast of pasta dishes, the comments reinforcing that the dishes we were seeing tasted as good as they looked. This being Los Angeles, we weren’t surprised to learn that the family-run Pasta Sisters was located in a strip mall in an up and coming part of town. Although, with three tiny tables and a few bar seats, it was more of a take-out spot than a sit down place. So we were excited when we learned that they would be opening a second location in Culver City. A bentwood sculpture from Jeremy Holmes, hanging over the main dining room of the new space, evokes the freshly made pasta the restaurant is known for.
Taking over the old Bucato space in the Helms Bakery, the new Pasta Sisters has, under the nimble direction of Edel Legaspi and Christopher Courts of Legaspi Courts Design, rethought the modern angularity of that restaurant into something casual, warm and inviting. Gone are the severe modernist lines, the highly polished dark wood surfaces, orderly booths and sculptural soffit that lent the old spaghetti shrine a distinct formality
While the basic footprint of the narrow main dining area remains the same, white painted walls, curved back chairs found at neighbor H.D. Buttercup, custom wooden stools and linen textured roller shades by Sole Shades wash the room with the air of an informal yet modern trattoria. The warm green terracotta glazed tile is from Montecarlo Tile
An intimate patio in the back is ideal for romantic evenings or a large group of close friends; the covered patio out front is perfect for lunchtime people watching.
Alongside the choose your own pasta and sauce combinations familiar from the Pico location, the new spot plumps up the menu with hearty main dishes — breaded chicken breast, beef stew, chicken scaloppine, roasted salmon and crostone, a type of pizza — a selection of beautiful Italian pastries and desserts as well as beer and wine.
Pasta Sisters, open 11 am – 10 pm, also take-out and delivery, 3280 Helms Avenue, Culver City, CA 90232 424.603.4503