$100 gift card to Maximiliano Restaurant (Highland Park location). Chef Guerreros Maximiliano challenges assumptions about Italian American fare, satisfying cravings for quality while remaining affordable. Grab a seat at the softly buffed stainless steel bar and youll be offered a choice of seven Craftsman beers on draught. An exclusive partnership with founder Mark Jilg, makes Maximiliano the flagship location and off-site tap room for the Pasadena based brewery. An extensive list of small-batch Italian only wine rounds out the drink options, allowing the finest imported wine and ultra local beer to stand side by side. It is hard not to notice the double decker, red tiled Marsal pizza oven that dominates the kitchen. This brick lined beauty is the centerpiece of Chef Andre Guerreros menu of Kinda Old School Italian fare. Margherita Pizza with leaves of fresh locally sourced basil, a sprinkle of shaved reggiano, and house made tomato sauce spread over hand tossed aged dough, arrives at the table with mozzarella still bubbling. You wont find this perfect mix of bite, crunch and softness anywhere else. An unfussy meatball, prepared with a blend of fresh herbs and meats, is hand formed and baked to perfection before settling into a bowl of spaghetti with classic marinara sauce and daring you to compare it to others. Guerrero nods to the new school with his Pan Roasted Pork Chop. Cooked Sous-Vide for 18 hours and served with sweet potato puree, Tuscan kale, cipollini onions and a sour orange gastrique, this chop is meltingly tender. Pastry Chef Jan Purdy joins the act by redefining spumoni for the PacoJet age. Handcrafted ice cream fills a paper cup only to be expertly sliced in half revealing layers of color, nuts and fruit. Assembled and presented to be Kinda familiar, this menu will play with and update memories of Old School classics.