La Traviata (Long Beach)

Hello friends! Our (Nat and myself) Christmas eve adventure took us to La Traviata. Honestly I had never even heard of it, although it seems that many people really like it. We were driving around town in our new car. . . Natalie got a new Subaru Outback for Christmas and we stumbled upon La Triviata. We dove around the block, parked and walked to the restaurant. Upon entering, there is a wonderful feeling of warmth which is totally old world. It definitely reminded me of France or Italy with the wood work and lighting. I was really happy with the decor and there was no wait. We sat in the bar at a high table. I wasn't really hungry which was probably pretty good since the prices were up there. Definitely not your cheap night out. To add insult to injury we were a little dressed down compared to the rest of the dinners, but no so much so that we didn't want to eat there.

We ordered immediately and our waiter brought us two waters. They had no dark beers to offer, so I went with water. They did have an amazing wine selection, but because Natalie is pregnant and I don't drink wine there was no real appeal for us. We ordered Macaroni and Cheese with Golden Truffle drizzle, Wild Mushroom Flatbread Pizza and an order of Mediterranean Fries.

Lets start with the Mac and Cheese. Who knew that truffle oil on Mac and Cheese would make it worth so much? Who knew it would taste so darn good!!! Very impressed, not a huge portion, but excellent flavor and the right balance of sauce to noodle. Well done.

The Wild Mushroom Flatbread pizza was a little lack luster for me. The bread was so thin that it got soggy and floppy before it even got to our table and was hard to eat. It also came with onions which Natalie doesn't like so she ended up taking most of the toppings off. It never mentioned onions on the menu.

Mediterranean Fries are skinny French Fries with Feta cheese. They were good, but not spectacular.

In addition to the atmosphere there was a female vocalist performing Christmas songs to karaoke backing tracks. She wasn't very good unfortunately.

It was a lovely evening for us to get away and it felt like somewhere far away from home, which for us is a nice reminder of our time in Europe:)

Value: This is not a place you go to for large portions and cheap meals. The food portions are very small and fairly pricey, but the atmosphere really makes up for the lack of food. The cheesy singer who performed Christmas songs was also a let down, but I really like the feel of the place. The service was sub par, but they were busy and we looked poor. A little disheartening since their advertising card said they try to make every customer feel like a member of the family. 3 Stars.
Food Quality: If it were based solely on the Mac and Cheese I'd give it a ten, but the other items were only okay. Small portion size doesn't help. 6 Seconds.
Category: I'm going to classify La Traviata as a bistro, and I love the atmosphere. Very Old Style and I want to go back even if to hand out and have a beverage. La Traviata gets a 10 out of 10!

The Scoop. . .
Value: 3 out of 5 Stars. A little Pricey and not in a good way.
FQ: Amazing Mac ad Cheese! Okay other stuff. 6 Seconds (Out of 10)
Category: Bistro-Awesomeness! 10 out of 10!

Definitely going back, even if to satisfy a morbid curiosity!

Cheers!
Troy@BonVivant

La Traviata
301 North Cedar Avenue
Long Beach, CA 
90802-2818
(562) 432-8022 ‎