Impresario an Alternative at Music Center

Getting to the theater on time--if you plan on eating a little something first--has never been easy given the peculiar logistics of the Music Center and downtown.

With the debut of Impresario, a new Italian restaurant in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, you now have the option of parking just once for dinner and the theater.

New York-based Restaurant Consultants, which runs dining rooms at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, has enlisted Valentino’s owner Piero Selvaggio as consultant, which could be a very smart move if he’s given a free hand.

At the moment, Impresario is still very much a restaurant-in-progress. Though the restaurant’s decor has been freshened up with new carpet and wall coverings, it still looks a bit forlorn, like a hotel banquet room. The chef is Eddy Marroquin, sous-chef at Valentino for 14 years.

Selvaggio has raided his cellar to come up with a lovely, well-priced list of Italian, French and California wines. That in itself is a reassuring sign. I love the idea of being able to drink a Gaja Barbaresco or Fonterutoli’s wonderful Chianti riserva Ser Lapo with porcini and duckling lasagna or a few little lamb chops. For diners in a rush, Marroquin proposes a piatto unico, a daily special with a small portion of pasta and salad all on one plate.

After 7:30 p.m., when the theater crowd has left, the restaurant offers a more leisurely--and, at this point, somewhat solitary--dining experience. There’s no problem getting a window table with a view of the dancing fountain beneath. You can order a la carte, of course, but what may be more interesting are the two prix fixe menus: Sinfonia di Assagi, a sampling menu of antipasti and first courses, or the six-course Extravaganza for two accompanied by Champagne and wines. But with Rex and Cafe Pinot both close by, it remains to be seen whether folks will flock to the Music Center just to have dinner.

The bar, open before performances and at intermission, offers 20 savvy wines by the glass along with stuzzichini , or snacks. So, if you hurry and get on the first elevator up to the 5th-floor restaurant, you can enjoy a glass of Qupe’s blend of Viognier and Chardonnay with a bite of veal tonnato or minced duck breast wrapped in spinach. Now, that’s civilized.

* Impresario, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 972-3333. Open Tuesday through Saturday for pre-theater, intermission and regular dining, and two hours before matinee performances at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or Ahmanson Theatre for brunch. Appetizers $7 to $8, entrees $20 to $28; brunch $20 to $30; sampling menu of antipasti and first courses $40; six-course dinner for two with wines $95 per person; snacks $6 to $8. Major credit cards accepted. Parking in Music Center Garage and also valet parking.