This White House Adds Culinary Class to Area

Next door to Thee White House, an Italian restaurant on Anaheim Boulevard, is a burger joint. Cars and trucks stream past and the busy street has little greenery. Yet in a neighborhood that has otherwise paid little attention to aesthetics, every detail at Thee White House appears preconceived and nearly perfect.

“People can’t believe we’re in Anaheim. There’s nothing more beautiful than Thee White House,” bragged owner Bruno Serato.

Built at the turn of the century, the restaurant sits tucked away behind a white fence, mostly hidden from the street as if protected from the bleak urban scenery that surrounds it.

Inside, Serato has transformed the house into a restaurant that radiates coziness and class. The brightness of white pervades. Tablecloths, chairs and walls dress for the occasion. On a Friday night, a piano player sets a mellow mood. A bartender offers to conjure up customers’ fantasy drinks. Waiters in black tuxes bustle about, serving drinks and food, straightening silverware, wiping away dropped crumbs and chatting with customers.

But Thee White House would only be a pretty place if not for its chef, David Libby. Libby grew up thinking about food and has never stopped. “It’s all I’ve ever done, Libby said. “I learned to cook because I wanted to learn more flavors and textures.”

Thus, eating at the restaurant is a unique, but almost overwhelming experience for the taste buds. A sour lemon butter sauce covers a salty fish perched over mashed potatoes flavored with crab. Crunchy, caramelized pistachios punctuate a crisp green salad swathed in a sweet passion fruit dressing. Chocolate, creme anglaise, and Chantilly whipped cream douses a supremely light Grand Marnier souffle.

Libby also takes care with the food’s presentation, making the vision of the food as pleasing as its taste. Take the salad: Leaves and enoki mushrooms explode out of a potato basket. Its red, green and yellow match the china. Passion-fruit dressing surrounds the basket. And splashes of beet sauce decorate the plate’s outer edges.

Libby special orders almost every ingredient, obtaining chocolate from Belgium, mushrooms from Oregon and other vegetables from the Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles. He and Serato make a good pair for both have a passion for food, experimentation and detail. Every four months the two change the menu, keeping themselves and their customers entertained with new concoctions. “He’s never bored me yet,” said Serato of his favorite chef.

Entrees at Thee White House average $15.25.