The Italian Feast of San Gennaro|Los Angeles
This weekend we attended the 7th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles in Hollywood. This event is brought to Los Angles each year by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla and various food and drink sponsors and was located below Hollywood Boulevard behind the El Capitan theater.
The festival included everything from Italian food, music, culture, games, petting zoo, and Carnival rides. When we arrived on Saturday night the crowd was thick and the air smelled like a blend of all things Italian. Pizza, Pasta, Calzones, Calamari, Roasted Corn, Gelato and Zeppoles were everywhere and figuring out what line to wait in and holding back the hunger pains were our only concerns. We each went our separate ways on a mission for hot Italian dishes to soothe all of our senses. I went for the Pizza and she went for the Pasta. The line for a slice of Rocco’s Pizza was long but well worth the wait. The choices were limitless and I opted for the meatball and tomato/basil slices for us to share. We had both discovered a treasure in our own backyard that reminded us of the authentic Pizza that we had a few years ago in Little Italy in New York. The pizza had perfect proportions of marinara, cheese and toppings and we decided that we would get our next pizza pie from here. It wasn’t more than 24 hours later that we ordered a pie for pickup from the Miracle Mile location and again the pizza was amazing.
We also shared a large bowl of Penne Alla Vodka sauce from Frankie’s New York Italian Restaurant on Melrose. The Pasta was fresh and had a nice bite to it. Within minutes it was gone. We then decided to have some cocktails while we waited for our friends attended. We sipped on glasses of Peroni draft beer and glasses of Lasorda Chianti Classico Toscana. I went back to Frankie’s and sampled the Clams on the half shell while I waited for our order of mini Calzones. I requested them with marinara sauce and when we bit into them at our table there was a perfect balance between cheese and sauce. When our friends arrived I went back for a final slice of Pepperoni pizza and went with them to get some roasted corn from the Fire Roasted Corn booth. I watched as they pilled on the toppings including butter, chili con Limon and Cotija cheese.
We were all so grateful that this event was in our back yard and that it promotes such a positive message while raising money for children and families in Los Angeles who are in need. It is also great being exposed to the many facets of Italian food, culture and life here in Los Angeles.
Don’t miss next years feast as you will truly regret it if you do. Let the countdown begin.
Vendors:
Rocco’s Italian Kitchen
http://www.roccospizzala.com/
6335 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-655-0058
Frankie’s New York Italian Restaurant on Melrose
http://www.frankiesonmelrose.com/
7228 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, Ca 90038
323-937-2801
Lasorda Wines
http://www.lasordawine.com/
Peroni Beer
http://www.peroniitaly.com/us/
The 7th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles
http://www.feastofla.org/
