Late last year, it looked like Sherman Oaks’ Il Tiramisu Ristorante & Bar would become yet another old Ventura Boulevard favorite pushed out by a younger upstart (read here about Stanley’s). For a while, it looked like Il Tiramisu’s location would be taken over by a Woodland Hills’ Leo & Lily, a Mediterranean-inspired breakfast and lunch spot.

Not so, confirms owner Peter Kastelan, who shares the family business with his father. That deal fell through several months ago, and Il Tiramisu is going strong thanks to enthusiastic support from the neighborhood: “Same owner, same menu. Except now every bottle of wine is half-price” for the foreseeable future, Peter tells us. The special celebrates the fact that the restaurant is staying put, plus the restaurant's 18th birthday coming up.

A little calamari with your wine?

Well, there’s one other special treat Peter promises will be on the menu by the time this item is posted: the “Italian adult root beer float.” For a while now, various venues around the Valley have been throwing vanilla ice cream into Not Your Father’s Root Beer, a spiced ale from Small Town Brewery in Wauconda, Illinois. Il Tiramisu is doing it Italian-style with Amarena cherry gelato, topping the whole sweet concoction with mascarpone whipped cream.

13705 Ventura Blvd., 818-986-2640