Rossoblu Brings Northern Italian Food to Downtown Los Angeles in an Urban Setting
Tucked in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles’ fashion district sits a renovated warehouse that now serves as the home for Rossoblu restaurant. Rossoblu is more than just great food, it is a place for chef and owner Steve Samson to share his story with his community. Recently opened in June of 2017, this urban setting provides the backdrop for Samson to feature his passion for traditional Italian dishes. He combines Italian family recipes with his own modern flare to create an incredible dining experience for guests.
Samson spent a large part of his childhood growing up in Bologna, Italy and the surrounding region of Emilia-Romagna, visiting his Italian mother’s family. Summers spent at his grandparents’ house were always centered around sharing home-cooked meals. These childhood memories of watching his mother and grandmother cook helped shape him into becoming a chef and sharing his passion with others by being in the restaurant business. Because his childhood was split between Los Angeles and Italy, Samson wanted to combine his two “home” cities to create one tasteful experience he could share with others, which was the inspiration behind the opening of Rossoblu.
The menu consists of a mix of traditional Northern Italian dishes, such as the Maltagliati, and dishes of his own based on what best highlights the taste of California, such as his grilled Morro Bay Oysters. Samson used a few of his mother’s recipes as highlighted on the menu, such as the Mom’s Minestra Nel Sacco—parmigiano reggiano dumplings in a bag. Even the wine list is a nod to his two homes, with an extensive menu imported from Italy as well as a mix of California wines.
Samson has made his family a major part of the restaurant, naming a few of the dishes after his family members. One of the items is Ilario’s Grigliata, a pork porterhouse sausage, named after his grandfather Ilario from Bologna, Italy. Also listed is Valbruna’s Eggplant, named after a family friend from Italy, cooked the traditional Northern Italian way with tomato sugo, parmigiano reggiano, and basil, served chilled. One of the most popular items on the menu is Nonna’s Tagliatelle Al Ragu Bolognese, made with beef, pork, and not too much tomato sauce. Nonna is grandmother in Italian, and the recipe for this Bolognese sauce comes directly from Samson’s grandmother.
Samson also sticks to classic, recognizable Italian dishes, such as tortellini made with pork, chicken, mortadella prosciutto di parma, and parmigiano reggiano; risotto made with celery root and black truffle butter; gnocchi with taleggio, radicchio, and walnut; free-range veal chop alla bolognese with prosciutto, parmigiana, and orach spinach; braised pork meatballs; and grilled Holstein beef tagliata with mashed cauliflower, roasted carrots, and black truffle.
In order to create the most authentic feel to his menu, Rossoblu has an in-house pasta maker, who makes all the pasta served each night from scratch. Rossoblu’s pasta connoisseur came to Los Angeles from Bologna, Italy and makes all the pasta served to diners by hand with a rolling pin, just as he learned from studying the art of pasta making in Bologna.
Continuing with the theme of combining his two homes, Samson uses ingredients sourced from both Italy and Los Angeles. Samson keeps to the traditional Italian way of cooking by having the basic items, such as parmigiano reggiano, balsamic vinegar, and occasionally olive oil, sourced directly from the surrounding region of Bologna, Italy. For his meats and fish, Samson turns to sources in the Los Angeles community to make sure the menu highlights the best of Los Angeles. For produce items, Samson shops at local farmers markets each week.
The name Rossoblu comes from the soccer team Bologna Football Club of Bologna, Italy. Rossoblu is the team’s nickname and means red and blue, which are the team’s colors, but for Samson it also represents a combination of his two homes—red for Italy and blue for Los Angeles.
Located in the old City Market South building on San Julian Street in what used to be the old wholesale produce market location for downtown Los Angeles, Samson has created a restaurant that has both indoor and outdoor space to feel like an old Italian piazza. Samson found the location from developers who were trying to preserve the space and keep the industrial feel of the building. A modern art mural located on the main wall inside the restaurant highlights the urban interior design and serves as a nod to the artist cultures of both Italy and Los Angeles.
Rossoblu is located at 1124 San Julian Street, Los Angeles and is open Sunday through Thursday 5:30pm to 10pm, and Friday and Saturday 5:30pm to 10:30pm.
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