Reviewing Marvin: A French Bistro in the heart of Los Angeles.

In hopes of finding the perfect trendy celebratory spot, my friends and I came across Marvin, “a French bistro in the heart of LA!” I actually heard of Marvin a few weeks prior when a friend recommended that I check out their “insanely yummy pasta dishes.” Our group lucked out in finding parking at metered spots in front of the restaurant. Both indoor and outdoor seating is offered, but we chose a booth by the door in which part of the seating is in the window looking into the restaurant. This cozy seating area was so cute and intimate, and I’d recommend requesting it for small groups. 

We started with the burrata toast ($12). It had the ideal cheese to toast ratio, and the fresh parmesan and black pepper were both excellent finishing touches. This remarkably flavorful plate is great to share as a starter, and I definitely recommend ordering it because it isn’t your typical burrata — it’s more like an in-between of burrata and whipped ricotta. We then got the Italian chopped salad ($17), which I really enjoyed. I like the way they shredded their lettuce, rather than using bigger pieces. The ingredients were all extremely fresh, ripe, and crunchy! The vinaigrette was a wonderful dressing to keep it light, but delicious.  

We then ordered two pasta dishes: Rigatoni Bolognese ($24) and Rigatoni Spicy Vodka ($22). It made me so happy that the majority of the type of pasta they serve is rigatoni because that is my personal favorite! They also cook their pasta perfectly al dente. The rigatoni Bolognese was one of the best Bolognese dishes I have had in a while. There was so much flavor packed in each bite, and the truffle flavoring was certainly one of the main reasons for that. I had never had a truffle-based Bolognese sauce like this one before, and I don’t think I can go back to a classic Bolognese sauce after having this. The fresh parmesan topper was a superb touch too. If anything, I would go back to Marvin solely for this dish, so I highly recommend ordering this when stopping by. This Bolognese is as good, if not better, than the six-hour Bolognese from Jon and Vinny’s, which prior to this dining experience was my favorite LA Bolognese dish.  

The spicy vodka rigatoni was also very delicious, but to me, it just didn’t compete with the Bolognese. However, my friends preferred this dish due to the uniqueness of the taste of the vodka sauce. It definitely had a little kick to it, but I would have appreciated some red chili flakes on top or mixed in to really be considered “spicy.” The basil was a nice touch for a fresh accent, but the amount I got in some bites was overwhelming. I think I’d prefer more of a sprinkle on top, rather than the large pieces mixed into the dish. Both pasta dishes were well portioned and enough for sharing. While the rigatoni Bolognese is undoubtedly my number one favorite Bolognese dish in LA, the rigatoni spicy vodka is still probably in my top five spicy vodka favorites in LA. 

My advice when it comes to visiting new restaurants is to make sure to order dishes in three categories: something you might not typically order (e.g., burrata toast), something the restaurant is known for (e.g., Bolognese), and something you know for sure you will like (e.g., chopped salad).

I am so glad that we asked our waiter about which two pasta plates we should order because we were concerned that two red sauces would be too similar; however, our orders ended up being exceptionally different. While the food was to die for, the establishment was also quite atmospheric. In fact, our group almost forgot we were even in a restaurant since we were in our own little section where we received outstanding service and it wasn’t too loud. This spot is absolutely worth the price, and I can’t wait to go back to try more of their dishes and, of course, to reorder the rigatoni Bolognese.