chefs at the table
La Bella Barrique BY WHITNEY ESHLEMAN
PHOTO MONICA PAREDES
© DR
THINK OF DINING OPTIONS IN THE VENICE BEACH AREA AND THE ABBOT KINNEY, WASHINGTON BOULEVARD, AND WINDWARD CIRCLE RESTAURANT ROWS TEND TO COME TO MIND. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL, FOLKS. JUST OFF THE EATEN PATH IS BARRIQUE, A GEM OF AN ITALIAN EATERY AND WINE BAR SITUATED IN A COZY TWO-STORY YELLOW COTTAGE ON A SLEEPY STRIP OF MAIN STREET, SERVING HOMEMADE PASTA AND CREATIVE DISHES FROM A MICHELIN-AWARDED CHEF.
Barrique’s sunny exterior.
Chef Antonio Murè was born in Sicily and grew up in Parma, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. His aunt and mamma put him to work making pasta in the kitchen on Sundays as a child: Folding ravioli and kneading gnocchi are the perfect tasks for the wee hands of a 10-yearold boy. At 14 Murè realized he wanted to become a chef, although it wasn’t the cooking that initially attracted him. While working at a dry cleaner, he met a globe-trotting restaurateur who spoke several languages. Murè was in awe of his lifestyle, and decided he wanted the same for himself. Glitz and glamour first attracted him to the culinary arts, but he ended up finding his true calling.
In 1995 he moved to Los Angeles and became the chef at Il Moro. He has helmed other top-notch restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and in 2004 he opened Venice’s Piccolo, which was rated among Los Angeles’s best by Zagat. He then went on to launch the Ado brand, which included Casa Ado in Marina del Rey, Adoteca Brentwood, and the Ado Italian Marketplace line. Chef Murè’s most recent venture is Barrique, currently his only restaurant, and he is enjoying every minute of it. When asked about the impressive Michelin star, Chef Murè’s response made it clear he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He simply loves to cook. He laughed and said, “I thought I was just going to a party and then they announced that I was receiving a Michelin star. I was like, Who? Me? I had no idea.” Same thing happened with his Zagat rating.
Chef Murè graduated from the prestigious Istituto Alberghiero di Stato and spent several years perfecting his skills in exclusive restaurants and hotels in Italy, including the renowned Il Meloncino in Veneto. egoreview los angeles 02
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