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Cimarusti served fried clams at LA Loves Alex's Lemonade |
At least that left time for research. Donato, who was born in Italy but has been in LA since the 80s, recently took a trek through New England to taste the kind of food Cimarusti grew up with, the lobster rolls and fried clams and chowder from Providence, Rhode Island to Portland, Maine. "For the people there, this food is in their blood. It's like Italians with pizza and pasta," he says. "We hope to capture that feeling." But Cimarusti won't be duplicating clam shack food, but rather put his own spin on it. "It's definitely an East Coast seafood house, but it won't be just all seafood."
Poto confirms that C&T will be much more casual than Providence, but the food and service will be just as important. The vibe will be young, fun and vibrant with great cocktails, especially since it has a nice big bar. "I want to find the same equal balance as at Providence," he adds. "It's important that people feel comfortable with everything that happens there." We, for one, can't wait for more fried clams.