8 1/2 Taverna in Studio City is Italian Gastropub Heaven

It’s no secret we love beer. But let’s face it, you probably shouldn’t just live off of a diet of brewskies. This is where 8 1/2 Taverna comes in. With a solid, expanding beer list, unreal Italian food and spectacular service from an educated staff, there’s no doubt we will become regular’s at the two-month-old Italian gastropub.

Be BFF with the Chef

8 1/2 Taverna is owned by Enzo Sanseverino and Fabrizio Di Gianni. Enzo was born and raised in Naples (Italy, not Florida!) where he grew up around amazing food. He worked at Pizzeria Trianon, one of the oldest pizzerias with what he describes as the best pizza in the world. Enzo emphasized to us, with his strong accent and animated gestures, that the best Italian cooking comes not just from restaurants in Italy, but from the homes of neighbors and the little old ladies. Charismatic Enzo will sit down and share a drink with customers, making you feel right at home (even if there are no little old ladies present).

Birra is Italian for Beer

One of the most exciting craft beer scenes coming up is Italy. Italian craft beers are unique for a couple reasons. They are often made with lots of unusual ingredients like herbs and spices because geographically Italy has access to all that good stuff. The beers are also brewed with a normally mismatched malt and yeast. The Italian Saison beer, Super Baladin, has the malt-base of an Extra Special Bitter but uses a Belgian Saison yeast, yielding more complexity.

8 1/2 Taverna has two bottles of a new favorite beer of ours, Baladin Super and Nora, and Menabrea’s pale and amber macrobrews. Since Italian bottles can be more expensive (we’re talking $50 sometimes), their selection is small but growing. If you haven’t had an Italian craft beer, this is a great place to start. 8 1/2 currently has 13 taps (including beer from Nibble Bit Tabby and The Bruery) and over 30 bottles.

Mix Me Up Some Beer, Matt!

We sat at the bar and chatted up Bar Manager Matt Olesh, who you may recognize from the Tony’s Darts Away Dionicess VI beer and food pairing. Matt worked as a beer specialist at Whole Foods in Valencia, CA for three years, and is happy to share his brew knowledge with thirsty patrons.

Ask Matt to make you a “Fire & Ice,” a mixed beer drink made with with Prosecco and Allagash Black. It’s a spin on the Black Velvet cocktail made with Prosecco and champagne. Also in the works is a yet-to-be-named mix inspired by the Snake Bite, which is a mix of a stout beer and a cider. Matt’s mix includes Allagash Dubbel, Julian’s Hard Cider and Napa Smith Pilsner, and it tastes like autumn in a glass. Just in time!

Next on the beer docket: beer floats! Matt’s thinking he’ll bring in North Coast’s Old Rasputin on nitro to pour over their smooth vanilla gelato. This will be one silky, creamy float.

Pizza I Dreamed About

Enzo knows what a difference ingredients make, so he imports his flour from Italy and hand selects all his ingredients from their source. He pays special attention to balance in his food so there’s “not too much cheese, not too much sauce, so you taste all the ingredients without any individual ingredient being overpowering.” We couldn’t pick just one pie as a favorite, but the Tartufona truffle pizza nails it — mozzarella, mascarpone fondue, shiitake mushrooms, shaved truffle and white truffle oil are all perfectly resting on the most flavorful pizza dough you will ever eat, and it’s modestly priced at $25. The pizza is as rich as a dessert and is perfect for sharing, or inhaling on your own.

Enzo’s pizza-brain-magic doesn’t stop working — he will be making a special wintertime pizza with raisins, black olives, pinenuts, and escarole bitter greens. He even whipped up a special Spanish influenced Pizza Fritta for us, which is like an empanada-calzone-pizza hybrid AKA deep friend pizza, people! It’s a pizza made with three cheeses and softer dough that’s folded in half and quickly fried in a slightly sugared batter. With his help we ate the whole thing in about a minute. And that was after the Rustic, Porkona and Seafood pizzas.

New dishes and drinks are being rolled out every time we come back to 8 1/2 Taverna. Get over there and check out what Enzo’s got cooking. It will be too awesome.

Where:
11334 Moorpark St.
Studio City, CA 91602

When:
Open from 12 PM – 12 AM

Additional information:
http://www.8andahalf.com/

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