Jonathan Gold restaurant review: Bucato in Culver City

A pasta dish with corzetti in a walnut pesto sauce.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Whet your appetite with fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta and mint.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Chef-owner Evan Funke works his magic in the kitchen.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Flatbreads with lardo: Toasted tigelle paired with lardo pestata, rosemary and Parmigiano-Reggiano.   (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Zeppoli dusted with powdered sugar at Bucato.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Grab a table near the open kitchen and watch the action at Bucato.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Bucato is a beacon for seasonal Italian food in Culver City’s Helms complex. The old neon sign, left over from a laundry that was in this space before it was colonized by a fusion restaurant, still shines overhead.   (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

The back patio dining area.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Bâtarde with goat’s milk butter, ash and salt.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)