Nothing wrong with crusty

Do you all know about Kenneth Village, or am I about to let a secret

out? I will admit that, until recently, I had sort of forgotten about

this little corner of heaven, with its walkers, joggers and (baby)

strollers, and appealing storefronts. It’s a peaceful place to spend

a few hours, especially a few lunch hours.

A good place to start is George’s Cucina Italiana. The small,

10-table interior is reminiscent of a European wine cellar, with

coved ceilings and dim, flickering lights. The old-world effect can

be somewhat jarringly interrupted by the 1950s “background” music,

which (on several occasions) is a bit too loud to stay obediently in

the background.

My first visit was for take-out. A fresh and pretty antipasto

salad looked like a gift package in its clear container, which

allowed a tempting glimpse at crisp greens, a few garbanzo beans and

olives, fresh and ripe tomato slices, with spiraled ribbons of

provolone and ham garnishing the top (small $4, large $6). It tasted

as good as it looked with the herb-y vinaigrette splashed on.

To please the Princess Daughter, (the one who says “Tomatoes are

not in my life”), we sampled a chicken cilantro pizza (small $8.60,

medium $11.50), which features olive oil in place of the customary

tomato sauce. The pie was attractively garnished with oven-burnished

mozzarella, red onion slivers, just enough cilantro (a little goes a

long way, especially on a pizza) and some bits of sun-dried tomatoes

(shhh, don’t tell the P.D.!)

The crust was thin, and a masterful marriage of crunch and chew.

Really delicious crust like this is hard to find ... it even stayed

crisp on the drive home. (Of course, I sampled one piece hot and

fresh in the car, in the interest of an accurate report!) I would eat

that crust plain -- that’s how remarkably good it was. A large

portion of lasagna with meat sauce ($10.99) included enough extra

meaty-meat sauce to dip the otherwise unremarkable garlic bread.

On a dine-in visit, we enjoyed a sauteed shrimp appetizer ($7.50),

a cluster of plump, pink shrimp swimming in a garlicky pool. The

shrimp were good sized, and tender, and the sauce was tasty, without

overwhelming their good shrimpy flavor. An order of sauteed mushrooms

($6) proved more than enough to share -- it looked like it might have

been a pound of mushrooms to start!

An appetizer portion of sauteed sausage and peppers appeared to be

quite oily, but the flavor of the thinly sliced sausage, peppers and

onions made it irresistible when piled on the garlic bread provided

($6). My gnocchi were pillowy and light, in a light tomato sauce that

was well-matched to the dumplings ($9).

The wine list is limited, but the wine glasses are nicer than some

I’ve noticed in much fancier places around town. (A good glass makes

a big difference!)

So take a stroll through Kenneth Village some evening soon, and

sink your teeth into some of that divine pizza crust.

You can walk off the carbs after dinner.

Kudos: Homemade flavor and fair prices in a charming setting.

Quibbles: A different choice of music (or volume) might be

appropriate.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: George’s Cucina Italiana

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11

p.m. Friday and Saturday.

WHERE: 1418 W. Kenneth Road, Glendale

COST: $5.50 to $13.99

CONTACT: (818) 246-7777

* CHERIE MERCER TWOHY teaches cooking in La Canada. She can be

reached at www.chezcherie.com.