Best of the west

If you can't get to Ny or Vegas, this is the place to get your old school italian fix. It's small and a tough reservation so call ahead or go late. The scallops appetizer is my favorite, but the fried mozzarella sets the standard that all the TGI Fridays of the world try to attain. For the main course it's hard to pass up the Steak and Peppers. But if you like shrimp parmagiana, they'll make it for you even though it's not on the menu. Delicious.

Serving Italian food is one thing. But BEING Italian is quite another. Dan Tana's IS Italian! Manicotti for dinner and Cannoli for dessert. Simple.

Old School Italian

You walk in and feel like you've entered another time and place. Get there before your reservation (yes, you want a reservation - unless you plan to eat at the bar) and have the bartender pour you a fat martini. Then settle into a booth (if you can get one) and let the waiters - who seem like they've worked there their whole lives - take you away. I like to start with the Tana salad, and then have either a steak, fish or chicken with a side of pasta (that way, I can have it all!). Bring your appetite, because it will be a heavy meal! (Update: on the recommendation of folks on LikeMe, I tried the cannoli for the first time - it's a must have. Creamy, crunchy, the perfect hint of cinnamon - be sure to save room for it!!)

Holy Cannoli

Wow. I love this place. I don't even remember what I had for dinner because the Cannoli for dessert blew my mind.

Dan Tana's was one of the first restaurants I dined in when I came out to Los Angeles in 1992. As far as restaurants go, it's been downhill since that day. The best Italian food in all of California. You will not find many who will dispute this claim. I've read the other INSIDE WORDS and all this talk of Cannolis is making me crave one, even though I've never actually had one. Yes, yes, it's true. I have never eaten a Cannoli. I promise to change all of that upon my return to Dan Tana's.