Pizzicotto in Brentwood

I was discussing Italian food with Jeffrey James Mohr and he recommended a place in Brentwood. He had heard about this place through a co-worker who said whenever he comes into town (he lives in Texas) he makes it a point to stop at this place for an "authentic" Italian meal. So, I went last night with my daughter. Pizzicotto is located at 11758 San Vincente Blvd, Brentwood CA 90049. It's a small and narrow restaurant. The decor is warm and cozy in scale. The first floor has a market feel to it and was packed. First the waiter asked if we wouldn't mind sitting at this dinky and dark table near the door to the dish washing area. He anticipated a "no" and guided us to the second floor. This is a tiny room that houses around seven tables. We sat down and ordered Cesar Salad (too much dressing, you have to eat fast before the greens drown) After we finished our salad, we were asked to move to another table closer to the glass wall that overlooks the first floor. It was kind of an upgrade but it's bad practice to be asked to be re-seated after you begin the meal. It's a sign of floor miss-management. It makes you wonder why other tables weren't asked to move, why were we singled out? Then came the Ravioli filled with grilled vegetables, ricotto cheese, topped with prosciutto cotto, cherry tomatoes, green beans, butter nut squash. The sauce was white wine with a touch of pesto. We also ordered the Spaghetti Calamari with garlic, chopped tomatoes, lemon, spices, parsley, a touch of tomato sauce and olive oil. The pasta is correct. It reminded me of the many meals as a teenager at the DiFabrizio's. The attention to the pasta and the flavorful-ness of the al dente durham; the specific result of the water and heat ;and the enhancement (and not the suffocation) of the sauce was all there. For dessert, we shared a Tiramisu and I had the house coffee with it. The Tiramisu was delicious, delicate, creamy and maybe the second or third best I have ever had. Even without drinks, the meal was around $75. It was excellent and memorable but it brings up the bigger issue; why is great Italian food so hard to find in LA? Why must we spend $75 for pasta? It's not like there's truffles in the pasta or anything that should be costly? It boggles the mind. Let's see, there's Mozza, I guess, and maybe Chianti in Lomita but it's still going to be around the same price. Anyone know of an affordable Italian place in LA that you can get away with under $40 or $50 for two?