Mother Wolf

Inside the 1931 Art Deco shell of the former *Hollywood Citizen-News* building, the open kitchen occupies nearly a third of the floor plan. That 3,000-square-foot workspace sets the scale for everything else at Mother Wolf. The dining room is vast and opulent, fitted with antiqued mirrors and floral details that bounce the noise around the room. It is a loud, high-energy space where the conversation has to compete with the playlist and the clamor of a fully packed house. Evan Funke’s menu remains rigidly attached to Rome and the Lazio region. You won’t find a greatest-hits list of general Italian cooking here; instead, the kitchen focuses on the specific traditions of the capital, using California produce to replicate the textures of Rome. The wood-fired ovens turn out wafer-thin *pizza tonda* – including the classic Rossa and Diavola – while the pasta stations cycle through the four Roman pillars: Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Amatriciana, and Gricia. Most tables treat the menu as a progression, starting with fried artichokes or ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms before loading up on carbohydrates and grilled meats like porchetta or Australian lamb ribs. Getting a seat to watch this machinery in motion is difficult, often requiring reservations made weeks out.