It is easily one of the punniest names out there. Yeah, really creative to combine “eat” and “Italy” to create a restaurant and market name. But there is no doubt that judging the name of a restaurant is like judging a book by its cover. It’s what’s inside that counts and apparently the inside of Eataly has impressed enough people to open up locations in the biggest cities in the US. I paid a quick visit to the Chicago location when I was in need of a snack.

Of course, what counts for a snack at Eataly? A Rose wine slushie? Some sort of pastry? Nah, I went looking for something savory and found the ravioli bar called Ravioli & Co. I went for the Ravioli al Prosciutto, which is stuffed with, shockingly, prosciutto in a light butter sauce with parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

It may have taken far longer than expected to prepare, but eventually it was a thing of beauty. As the plate said, “Life is a combination of pasta and magic.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference, and while this ravioli stuffed with prosciutto may not have transcended beyond a simple dish, it was the execution of that simplicity that blurred the lines of reality and magicdom.

Not to be confused with C & O Trattoria, C & O Cucina is just down the street in Marina Del Rey. Although the location is completely different, the menu seems to be the same as the other C & O. One thing it is missing, though, is the fun outdoor atmosphere. Nonetheless, I had a restaurant.com gift certificate so I had to try it out.

The best part about this C & O, just like the other one, is the garlic knots. The arrive as soon as you sit down and don’t stop flowing until you leave the place. This is definitely not the place to go with someone who doesn’t eat garlic. While snacking on the garlic knots, I looked at the menu long enough to decide I wanted the Rosemary Chicken Ravioli. This came with a creamy tomato sauce.

I snacked on more garlic knots while waiting for my main course and then it arrived. Just as can always be expected at C & O, the ravioli was delicious. The creamy tomato sauce was great, while there was just the right amount of ravioli to stuff me. The chicken stuffed inside was also delicious. Although the atmosphere isn’t as fun as the C & O Trattoria, C & O Cucina is a nice, reliable place to get some Italian food. Oh and those awesome garlic knots.