Sogno Toscano

Sogno Toscano calls itself a “lifestyle cafe.” We don’t really know what that means. But if eating cured meat accurately describes your lifestyle (or you just need a Westside spot for lunch and and strong espresso) you’ll love this place. The Santa Monica cafe serves solid panini with chewy focaccia and imported cold cuts. These are pricey for their size—each one costs roughly $25—but they’re full of ingredients someone like Giada De Laurentiis would smuggle back from vacation. Think aged pecorino from small Tuscan villages, salame milano, and sweet borettane onions. We like the Bufalina, which balances milky bufala with silky, salty ribbons of parma ham.