Everything might be steakhouse now, but Chi Spacca transcends the straightforwardness of the genre with a pronounced Italian lens and sprightly dose of seasonality. Since 2013, Nancy Silverton’s meat-oriented restaurant — the name translates “she (or he) who cleaves” — has caught up to its much-venerated older siblings, Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza, in terms of critical acclaim and popularity. Instead of pizza or pasta, the focus here is house-cured charcuterie; savory pies; and a series of flame-grilled mains, the preparation of which diners can watch via the open kitchen. Diners can easily fashion a meal for two to four guests out of one of the massive steaks and a few contorni or salads, but the true longstanding appeal of Chi Spacca is the fact that the definition of great order here is inherently mutable and always deeply satisfying.
The modest square footage and fairly minimalist decor translate into a bustling, fairly casual atmosphere oriented toward serving great food and wine. It has the feel of a neighborhood hangout — and operates as such for the affluent locals of Hancock Park.
From Monday to Thursday, Chi Spacca offers a reservation-only Ode to Pig’s Head dinner that includes, among other dishes, a ham-topped focaccia di recco; a porterhouse pork chop; and an entire deep-fried pig’s head. Though the minimum party size is four, it’s best experienced with a group of six or more.
chi SPACCA was borne of the wildly-popular family-style salumi night dinners hosted weekly at Scuola di Pizza, the previous occupant of the chi SPACCA space. Enchanted by the artistry of Italian salumi culture, we built the first dry cure program in LA so that we could experiment and perfect It…