In la-la land, as Los Angeles is often called, it’s easy to get sucked into the world of superfood crazes and green juice cleanses.
“It’s L.A.,” says 35-year-old chef Nina Clemente of The Smile’s di Alba. “Bread is sort of a touchy subject.”
So, what’s the strategy when opening an Italian joint?
“An open-face toast for Los Angelenos,” she says (with a sly smile) of the house-made focaccia, a Roman-style flatbread and staple at the eatery.
Di Alba is a small, casual cafe and takeaway spot with outdoor seating on the buzzing corner of 3rd Street and South Garey Street in downtown L.A.’s flourishing Arts District (adjacent and connected to Shinola and Scott Campbell’s Saved Tattoo). Sunlight pours through floor-to-ceiling windows onto brick walls, dark wood details and a white marble countertop. It’s modern and stylish yet warm and unassuming.
Decor is minimal and clean: There’s greenery, olive and citrus trees, and shelves topped with displays of books, glass jars of red chili peppers, stacks of Bianco DiNapoli tomato cans, and a black-and-white photograph of Clemente as a child with her mother.
The photo is there because di Alba is not only an ode to Italy, but also to Nina’s mother, Alba, the costume designer and wife of contemporary artist Francesco Clemente.
“My mother is many things—an incredibly talented artist herself,” says Clemente, who grew up around the likes of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol in the midst of New York City’s 80s art scene. “She raised us on the most spectacular meals, cigarette in her left hand, stirring with a wooden spoon in her right.”
In the summers, the family of six lived in her mother’s hometown, a small fishing village on the Amalfi Coast. There, at a young age, Italian-born Clemente experienced the fundamentals of cuisine, plucking fruits, vegetables, and herbs from their garden.
“What I’m trying to do with my food is nourish people–genuinely make them feel good about what they put in their bodies,” says Clemente, who most recently worked at The Standard Hotel, and who began her culinary career as a private chef and caterer for Hollywood’s elite.
What you’ll find at di Alba, which Clemente opened in January with partners Matt Kliegman, Carlos Quirarte, and Melia Marden of New York City’s The Smile (marking the team’s first West Coast endeavor), is a rotation of fresh, seasonal produce transformed into colorful and flavorful dishes.
When it comes to the focaccia (a gluten-free version keeps those Angelenos happy), current notables include the $8 Parma (prosciutto di parma, mozzarella fior di latte, arugula) and “breakfast” (smoked salmon, hard-boiled egg, lemon-cured red onion, Fresno chili, caper lemon gremolata, dill). Whatever the choice, make sure to drizzle on the house Calabrian chili oil for some spice.
Also on the menu: salads, greens, and grains in everything from sustainable Albacore tuna salad with heirloom tomato, Kalamata olives, red onion, basil and cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette to broccolini with garlic chips and Calabrian chili to black quinoa with pomegranate, Pink Lady apple, Persian cucumber, herbs, chives and citrus.
But save room for dessert. Sous-chef Zena Scharf offers two absolute musts: the blood orange polenta cake and mouthwatering (and gluten free, natch) chocolate chip butterscotch cookie.
“This concept of focaccia that I’m presenting has always been a little bit of a dream,” says Clemente, who’s now a mom herself. “It’s really nice to have ownership, because then you have that flexibility to have your child sitting on the counter, while you’re putting in 14-hour days. She’s three-and-a-half and is already picking herbs. She can knead dough!”
