HomeBusiness NewsBacari GDL Brings Italian ‘Cicchetti’ to the Americana at Brand

Bacari GDL Brings Italian ‘Cicchetti’ to the Americana at Brand

Robert and Danny Kronfli and executive chef/owner Lior Hillel have opened their third outpost of the Venetian tavern concept, Bacari GDL, joining Bacaro L.A. in Los Angeles and Bacari PDR in Playa Del Rey. Located at the Americana at Brand, Caruso’s shopping, dining and lifestyle destination in Glendale, the Italian-inspired restaurant focuses on fire-roasted dishes made in a wood-burning stone oven, and it incorporates Mediterranean influences from executive chef Lior Hillel’s Israeli heritage.

Photo courtesy of Bacari GDL
Robert (left) and Daniel Kronfli (right) recently opened Bacari GDL with executive chef and owner Lior Hillel.

“With the third iteration of Bacari, we want to continue to expand our reach throughout greater Los Angeles, and since we’d already ventured west with Bacari PDR, moving north seemed like the next logical step,” said Robert Kronfli, 29.
“Inspired by our travels to Italy, our overarching goal is to offer guests hospitable service and respite from everyday life by providing comforting food, well-executed drinks and a warm atmosphere,” added Danny Kronfli, 33.
Hillel’s extensive menu features a collection of Bacari’s “cicchetti,” or Italian small plates, including oxtail with doah spice, toasted buckwheat and shaved radish salad; banana prawns with pipel chuma, farro and parsley salad.
While the menu is almost entirely different from its sister restaurants, Bacari GDL keeps favorites such as the open-faced Bacari burger and the mac and cheese. Unique to this location is a large stone oven, which is used to cook hand-crafted pastas and pizzas, including foie gras cresto de gallo pasta with shaved terrine, onion jam, housemade ricotta and chervil. Pizza includes a bacon and double cream brie pizza with organic tomato sauce and fresh jalapeño.
“The 10-foot wood stone oven takes up about one-fourth of our kitchen,” said Hillel. “It was such a great find that it inspired us, and we actually built our menu around the oven, so the majority of our hot items are fire-roasted alongside our pizzas.”
Additionally, the Glendale restaurant offers a full bar and straightforward craft cocktails, alongside a curated selection of beer and wine, including a Brown Butter Sour with house-infused brown butter whiskey, dry curacao, egg white, simple and lemon; and the Holy Mole with añejo tequila, agave, lime essence, mole bitters, lime twist and cherry. Bacari GDL will also offer the GDL Special, a take on its 90-minute open bar, which includes house red and white wine, champagne, sangria and a select beer for $25 per person. For $30 per person, guests can add well cocktails to the deal.
The 68-seat restaurant retains Bacari’s warm, neighborhood wine bar feel, with chalkboard walls and signature wine bottle-lined ceilings. The garage door façade creates an indoor/outdoor feel, revealing the front patio and opening up the space. Robert Kronfli was integrally involved in the construction, crafting components by hand, including the wooden bathroom doors, a cork board bearing the restaurant’s logo and a wall lined with wine crates.
Guests can find hours, menus and more information at bacarigdl.com. Reservations are not required, but can be made by calling the restaurant at (818) 696-1460.

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