Los Angeles Times

Victor Casanova's cozy new restaurant on West Third shows what being in the right places at the right times has done for his culinary skill. It's some of the best Italian cooking in L.A. in a long time.

West Third Street used to have such a quirky charm for a neighborhood shopping district. For the past few years, though, glitzy boutiques and boites have displaced some of the old places as it gets a makeover as glamour puss. One welcome — and surprising — newcomer is Gusto, a terrific cozy Italian restaurant from a young chef with the unforgettable name of Victor Casanova…

Iron Chef America - Brook Trout - Zakarian vs. Casanova

Sunday night on Iron Chef America, Victor Casanova challenged Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian in battle brook trout. This was Zakarian's debut after winning season four of the Next Iron Chef. The judges were PR person Karine Bakhoum, chef Art Smith, and real houseperson Jill Zarin.

Esquire’s ‘The Best New Restaurants 2012’

Victor Casanova has fallen upwards. Two years ago, the very posh ristorante moderna Culina at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, where he was a celebrated star chef, made this list. Now at his own little trattoria on the very unposh West Third Street, the Bronx-born Casanova, thirty-six, has gone back to his roots, with authoritative renderings of Neapolitan pork braciola with a wine-dark rag — and bitter Swiss chard. He stuffs sweet peas, ricotta, and mint into sheer ravioli dressed with nothing more than lemon butter, and he spreads fresh beech mushrooms, rich besciamella, soft-centered burrata cheese, smoky bacon, and a dash of thyme on his excellent pizzas.

Vic Casanova Reflects on Gusto's First Year

Vic Casanova, chef and owner of Gusto, got his start in L.A. at Culina, a fancy Cal-Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. After departing the expansive confines of the hotel, Casanova staked out on his own at a diminutive room on West Third Street within a bustling center of restaurant activity in the city. Since opening about one year ago, Casanova's Gusto has earned both local and national accolades by focusing on prime quality ingredients and solid, trusted techniques that result in consistently great Italian cuisine…