El Caserio

It’s difficult to resist the basket of two mini loaves of hot and fresh bread presented before the meal at El Caserio. But be careful not to slather on too much aji, a bracingly potent tomato-based chile sauce, or you may leave your taste buds impaired for the rest of the meal. Start with an order of salmon carpaccio, a large plate of thinly sliced raw fish accompanied by goat cheese. If the soup of the day is bouillabaisse, it’s a must have, complete with mussels, clams, shrimps and large hunks of white fish, a meal in itself. Move on to the more than decent selection of pastas: satisfyingly al dente farfalle al salmone afumicato has fresh herbs sprinkled over shards of flavorful salmon in a light, creamy sauce, while fusilli si due funghi mixes Portobello and porcini mushrooms with corkscrew pasta. Chicken cooked in beer is tender and moist, and served with a mound of rice and hunks of potato. The plato sin carne is for vegetarians, but there are also plenty of the pasta dishes will satisfy those diners. Try the cannoli for dessert---a pair of the mascarpone-filled pastries drizzled with chocolate and powdered sugar, with cherries stuffed in at the ends. The wine list is small and weak, but El Caserio has a full bar and specializes in Latin cocktails, including the Caipirinha from Brazil. 401 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake, (213) 273-8945