Sean Macpherson's Il Covo Celebrates Design Completion With Holiday Prosecco For All Dinner Guests

The most recent labor of love from veteran restaurateur Sean MacPherson (Swingers Diner, Jones, The Roger Room), il Covo on 3rd Street in Los Angeles is offering up some holiday cheer. After two years of careful construction, and the final completion of the restaurant's interior and patio design in place, il Covo will welcome all guests with a flute of prosecco at dinner during the month of December to celebrate the holidays and newly discover this legendary restaurant location.

Set in a 1920's Mediterranean former four-plex apartment on 3rd Street that once housed the beloved Joe Allen, and subsequently Orso, il Covo has been lovingly reinterpreted to resemble a Mediterranean home and garden. MacPherson named it "il Covo, "translated from Italian as "the den (of thieves)." Il Covo opened very quietly with lunch and dinner service earlier this year while still fine tuning the details of design, food and service. Now operating smoothly according to aspired standards, the restaurant is ready for the experience that MacPherson envisioned when he first acquired the building. With a menu executed by Milanese-born Roberto Maggioni, formerly of Locanda del Lago in Santa Monica, il Covo offers classic and contemporary Italian dishes in a warm and inviting environment that make a visit for lunch or dinner feel like dropping in to one's neighborhood canteen. The operation is overseen by partner Jared Meisler, who began his career as a musician in Los Angeles and is involved with MacPherson in other projects, including Bar Lubitsch and The Roger Room.

In it for the long haul, MacPherson bought and restored not only the restaurant but also the apartment building next door where he currently resides. MacPherson sees il Covo as an extension of his own home and designed it as such, culling treasures from all over the world. The dark mahogany wainscoted walls were finished and refinished repeatedly to achieve the right lived-in feeling.

The coffered wood ceiling was hand painted by international artisans. Plush horseshoe booths allow for cozy and intimate gatherings. Wine bottles are tucked into niches and backlit for a dramatic effect. MacPherson carefully curated pieces from his own collection to decorate the restaurant with a bounty of art and objects that includes a photograph of Marcel Duchamp and author Eve Babitz playing chess in Pasadena, drawings by the film director Jean Negulesco, and a collection of 60's Italian Bitossi lamps.

Three salvaged antique fireplaces - the one on the patio boasts a copper bull's head rescued from New York's Tavern on the Green - are stocked with fabulous andirons and lend even more warmth to the restaurant's rooms. The long bar area with its carefully carved wood accents and a line of mohair-topped stools leads to the celebrated outdoor patio - one of the most highly coveted in Los Angeles - that is now fully enclosed, adding further intimacy and charm. The transporting garden is anchored by its original two large leafy trees. Floors are made of salvaged Italian terracotta and marble while the alcoves are decorated with local vintage encaustic tile. Wrought-iron balustrades enclose upper doors and windows.

"We put a lot of work in creating every new detail of this space," states MacPherson, "but the concept for il Covo has always been to produce a restaurant that would be perceived as a place that has been around for decades."

The food at il Covo is prepared with exceptional ingredients. Straightforward dishes are well executed and the service is polished yet warm. Menus are highly accessible for grazing, late night snacks and complete, simply elegant dinners. Appetizers feature Crostini of Sea Urchin, Radish and Caviar; Octopus Carpaccio with Celery, Radish, Olives; and Arancini Risotto Croquettes with Mozzarella and Peas in Arrabbiata Sauce. Salads run from Baby Raw Artichoke