24 San Diego Uptown News | June 25-July 8, 2010


FOOD Plenty of pasta for pennies at North Park eatery By David Nelson SDUN Restaurant Critic


stuffed into a toasted French roll and doused with marinara sauce and melted cheeses, and on a stand-alone meatball plate that makes quite the filling appetizer. Zio’s does not serve them atop salads, but chef/ proprietor Darren James (also known as D.J.) probably could be persuaded to toss a few onto a pile of greenery. This cozy, comfortable


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eatery a few doors west of 30th Street is D.J.’s first restaurant venture. Originally from Orange County, he has spent 25 years in San Diego, 15 of them as a banker. As occasionally happens, the time came for a change. “I decided the corporate world was no longer for me, went to culinary school and


f you’re in the mood for meatballs, Zio’s has them: on top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese;


Zio’s


Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday, closed Sundays


2940 El Cajon Blvd. North Park


280-9467 ziosinnorthpark.com


Free parking behind the building


became my own boss by opening my own restaurant,” says the personable entrepreneur, who put a lot of sweat equity into outfitting the small dining room that looks through a virtual wall of glass at busy El Cajon Boulevard. You can tell D.J.’s a sports fan, because the flat-screen television often is tuned to a game, and he checks out the


Italian potato chips – a creation of Zio’s owner, Darren James, are served with ranch dressing for $3. Hungrier eaters might choose the appetizer platter piled with chicken, cheese, zucchini and fries for $10. (Michael D. Pawlenty/SDUN)


action every time he’s in the room. The sound usually is off so guests can converse to the quiet accompaniment of low-pitched jazzy music, big on trumpets and sultry voices. D.J. gave the dining room a few unusual touches, like a table for two that is flanked by deep, plush, leather-upholstered chairs. The shiny black tabletop is big enough to hold a whole buffet of dishes, a good thing on Wednesday night, when you can bring a hungry teenager – or anyone who generally eats like he hasn’t had a meal in months – for the all-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatball dinner. At $12, the special costs just two bucks more than a regular plate of spaghetti, with the difference that as long as you keep chowing down, the kitchen will keep dishing it up. A smart promoter, D.J.


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Chowder, Anyone? Crossword from page 20


Sudoku


Answers from page 20 Uptown’s


Tortelloni stuffed with beef short ribs is a satisfying dish at Zio’s, which of- fers several tasty promotions throughout the week on pastas and entrées. (Michael D. Pawlenty/SDUN)


every night but Saturday. The lineup commences with Monday’s all-you-can-eat pasta and salad dinner ($10), and marches through the week with Tuesday’s buy one entrée, get one free (up to $12, that is), and the Wednesday special mentioned above. Every Thursday, guests who dine before 7 p.m. get an impressive 50 percent off their food bill, and the next night, kids eat free on what D.J. calls “Family Fridays with Disney.” Dinner and a show has been a popular combo ever since the Romans opened the Colosseum.


Perhaps because Zio’s also does an active carryout trade, the menu seems big for the premises. D.J.’s creations pepper the list, starting with appetizers like a basket of Italian-style potato chips with ranch dressing ($3), the soup of the day ($3 and $5), and assorted fried snacks that can be combined into the sizeable Zio Sampler, a $10 compendium of crisp chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks and zucchini, all piled atop a bed of french fries.


see Zio’s, page 25


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