The problem with Little Italy is that there are so many restaurants here, yet there are so few that are actually decent. I'm so glad LAB didn't fall into that stereotype.
When I arrived around 6:30 on a Thursday, it was pretty empty. There were probably only two other tables taken. They have a tiny patio which contained maybe 2 two-tops.
After ordering, we were served some warm brown bread. It was a nice dense bread and we all really enjoyed this. We were also given a small bowl of spiced olives. But I'm not a huge fan of olives... my friend said he enjoyed them though.
After the server informed us that her favourite dish here was the Braised veal ravioli with house made ricotta ($19), three of us (out of 4) ended up ordering this. When it came, I felt a pang of regret since it didn't look very appetizing. The colour was quite dark and the ravioli was deconstructed (i.e. not stuffed). The square sheets of pasta just sat on top of the veal/ricotta mixture. Luckily the taste made up for its lack of appearance. The taste of the veal was delicious... extremely flavourful. I just wish it was actually stuffed inside the pasta. Nevertheless... a delicious dish!
My other friend ordered the Papardelle alla Bolognese ($18). The bolognese was made of veal and pork. I was quite impressed - it looked and tasted great. Another hit!
While the dishes we tried were delicious, the portions weren't very big. I don't always have the biggest appetite, but I finished this easily and still had room for dessert. Unfortunately, none of the desserts here caught my eye, so we went elsewhere.
Overall - a good experience. Great tasting pasta!