The Georgian hotel’s Spaghetti Sunday menu has Sicilian roots
Words by S. IRENE VIRBILA
We could all use a little comfort now, and nothing could be better than Spaghetti Sunday at Santa Monica’s historic 1933 oceanfront The Georgian hotel. That’s the night the staff unfurls the red-and-white checked tablecloths and rolls out the meatballs, transforming an otherwise elegant steakhouse dining room into a traditional red-sauce joint. The recipe for those meatballs comes from co-owner Jon Blanchard’s Sicilian grandfather Tony Benfatti, and it seems it’s a big secret. Not so the spaghetti’s svelte marinara, made from slow-simmered cherry tomatoes straight from the Santa Monica Farmers Market around the corner. Sure, there’s the requisite garlic bread wafting its perfume over the table, only this one is upgraded with ciabatta, fresh herbs, and garlic butter — and toasted to order. If meatballs aren’t your thing, you can substitute chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, branzino, or upgrade to a New York Strip. Don’t forget a Caesar salad — this is California, after all. What’s missing? Only the joyous soundtrack to Stanley Tucci’s 1996 film Big Night, about two immigrant Italian brothers trying to keep their restaurant afloat on the Jersey Shore. This great food movie is streaming on Prime Video and AppleTV and is sure to get you in the mood for Sunday’s spaghetti feast. Sunday 5 to 9 p.m; $65 per person; $35 for children 12 and younger. 1415 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; thegeorgian.com.
ALL PHOTOS: Jakob Layman.
December 6, 2024
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