Review of Louise's Trattoria, Santa Monica, California

Louise's Trattoria at 1008 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica is one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. I've lived in Santa Monica for many years and Louise's is my home away from home. Louise's serves Italian with a California twist and has some of the most delicious dishes in all of Los Angeles.

When you arrive at Louise's Trattoria, after being shown to a table, your waiter will bring you complimentary foccacia bread and glass carafes of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can make your own balsamic vinegar and olive oil mix and luxuriate in the delicious fresh foccacia bread dipped in it.

For appetizers, my favorites are the Grilled Chicken Satay and the Crab Cakes. The Grilled Chicken Satay is very similar to satay I've had in Thailand. It's served with a peanut sauce to dip the chicken in and cilantro slaw, which is perfectly tangy. The Crab Cakes are pan-seared to perfection and come with an amazing avocado relish.

My favorite dish at Louise's is the Barbeque Chicken Chop salad. I order the half salad as it is absolutely enormous. The full salad is enough food for two people and then some, so something to keep in mind if you like salad. The Barbeque Chicken Chop is a tossed house salad, smothered in a delicious balsamic vinegar dressing and loaded with barbeque chicken and onions. It's so perfectly delicious and satisfying that I normally don't speak for the 15 minutes it takes me to eat every bite.

I've also eaten the Penne Bolognese and the Four Cheese Ravioli. Both these dishes are quite oily, so not good if you're worried about your weight. They are however delicious. The Bolognese has the perfect blend of herbs and the Four Cheese Ravioli has a creamy cheesy sauce that's to die for.

For dessert I recommend the Red Velvet Cake or the Cheesecake. Both are loaded with calories and sugar, but so decadent and gorgeous I really can't resist.