High end takeout never makes the grade.

On Valentine’s Day my heart throb worked the system hard in order to make the cut at Giorgio Baldi, the always trending, celebrity driven west side Italian restaurant which has been in business since 1995.

The number of takeout orders was severely limited.

My husband called at 4pm for a 6:30pm pick up.

We jointly perused the menu and selected Risotto Ai Funghi Porcini with fresh porcini mushrooms in a light tomato sauce ($25).

The risotto was perfectly prepared, but in our opinion the tomato sauce did not compliment the dish.

It also was lukewarm even though GB is only 5 minutes from home…takeout terror.

Reheating risotto is not a good idea. It is better to eat it cold during a midnight rendezvous or as leftovers for breakfast.

Our other main was Ricciarelle Tartufo, a homemade pappardelle in a white truffle sauce. The pappardelle was excellent, but again truffle sauce does not travel well ($30).

The Baked Asparagus with butter and parmesan cheese was delicious, but the cheese was cold and of all the reheated items this held up the best, but I had to remove some of the cheese and blot the excess oil ($11).

Naturally, dining at Giorgio Baldi is way more enjoyable.

I must admit I can live without the star power and back away from the very popular Aragosta Saltata, a two and a half pound fresh Main lobster sautéed with cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, lemon juice, chili pepper and olive oil priced at $120.

This New Englander prefers lobster served as nature intended, definitely not zhuzh’d up.

In the past year, we have ordered from 4 outstanding restaurants and they have all been disappointing.

Pasjoli, the superb Santa Monica restaurant, was takeout savvy and only partially cooked the food, including precise preparation instructions, but the food was still unsatisfying.

Sushi appears to travel the best.

Even a hamburger does not cut it.

I guess my place is in the kitchen until we can come out of hiding and dine inside, once again.

Giorgio Baldi 114 West Channel Road Santa Monica, California. Open Tuesday-Sunday 4-10pm for takeout and limited patio dining.