50 San Diego Reader February 9, 2017


Decadent and vegan


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Still heavenly Figaro Desserts, 3011 University Avenue, North Park. It wasn’t much more than a year ago that longstanding North Park dessert spot Heaven Sent moved from its 30th and University corner location into a smaller space two doors down. So I was surprised to pass by said smaller space last week and notice a different name over the door: Figaro Desserts. When I took a look


inside, things didn’t look all that differ- ent. I still found a glass case filled with the identical cup- cakes, macarons, and other sweet pastries that inspired so many tough ordering deci- sions at Heaven Sent. Upon f ur th er


which I mean it’s boring to talk about how deli- cious it is — so I scanned the case to see if any new sweets called my name. The colorful array of macarons did, for sure — especially the bright purple cassis (black-currant flavored) and the less photogenic but tasty salted caramel. I’ve tried those before. New to me was the


FEAST!


waffled hunk of chocolate bar, labeled vegan- and gluten-free. It had sort of a matte finish rather than the shiny, waxy gloss of chocolate


candy bars. I worried it would be flat and crum- bling or chunky with flax seeds inside, or some kind of non-gluten vegan-y thing. Instead, digging in


The colorful macarons of Heaven Sent Desserts remain.


inspection, I learned the shop is under new ownership but still serving plenty of Heaven Sent desserts and pastries, made by the same hands. Word is, the new owners are branching out from their other shop, Café Figaro, better known as a the place jurors stranded inside downtown’s Hall of Justice try to make the time pass with coffee and snacks. Probably the most obvious change is a rich


revealed a thin bottom layer of cake, almost like a brownie wafer. The bulk of the bar tasted creamy and rich, like chocolate truffle, its sweetness bolstered by coconut milk. That’s a pretty dec-


adent dessert to sat- isfy so many dietary restrictions, and a tasty reminder North Park hasn’t lost a Heaven Se nt , it ’s g aine d a gelato. by Ian Anderson


The vegan chocolate bar, creamy and rich, its sweetness bolstered by coconut milk


Better than the apple pie Julian Grille, 2224 Main Street, Julian. Before the holidays, my hus-


assortment of gelatos from Bottega Italiana, a brand the may be familiar to travelers to Seattle’s Pie Place Market. Gelato is pretty boring — by


band and I stayed for a week outside Julian at an RV park, and each morning I would drive a few miles to the library to write. One after- noon, instead of heading back for a yogurt and almonds for lunch, I drove into town for some- thing more substantial to eat.


The pasta-and-sausage lunch plate was so good that I had a second glass of wine to wash it down.


Pasta your way Pastalini, 7190 Mira- mar Road, Miramar. I wouldn’t imagine a little pasta restau- rant in Miramar could be the start to a chain of restau- rants, but it could happen. Pastalini is offering fran- chise opportunities. The shop has been


around eight years, and in that time a Linda Vista location has come and gone.


But the theme is not a bad idea. Built on the fast-casual, assembly-line model pioneered by Chipotle burritos and replicated by countless others serving anything from liquid-nitro ice cream to sushi burritos. Pastalini puts that focus on simpler fare: pasta. So, behind the glass sneeze-guard


The Julian Grille is off on a side street, away from the tour buses.


The fact is, I am not that impressed with


Julian and its overpriced cafés, hordes of tour- ists, and famous apple pie. (I recently found out from a few locals that most of the apples are grown and picked in Washington.) But I do love the trees, hiking, and fresh air, so that’s why we were in Julian. I bypassed the cutesy cafés on Main Street


and drove up and down the few streets in town until I found the Julian Grille. It looked closed, but when I walked past the empty patio and opened the door I was greeted by a woman who told me to sit anywhere. I found a table in the sun-room and sat next to a couple of people. As I looked over the menu, I listened to the


server tell the other patrons that the original cottage restaurant was built in the 1920s, and then in the ’60s an artist bought it and it became an antique store and a deli. Now, retro tables and red velvet curtains hang throughout the multiple rooms and a little bar stands in the living room area, which didn’t look as if it had room for more than a few drinkers. I ordered a glass of wine and linguine with


mild Italian sausage, herbs, and onions and french bread. It took only about five minutes for the meal to arrive, which made me think it had been zapped in the microwave, but it didn’t taste like it. The bread was soft and chewy, and the pasta was cooked just right and came with a side cup of freshly grated parmesan. The sausage was a little spicy, but I could taste hints of cumin and garlic. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered another glass of wine to wash it down. I ate the meal slowly and started a conversa-


tion with the folks at the other table, making the working lunch a two-hour affair and one of the best I’ve had in ages.


by Candice Reed


of a cafeteria-like ordering line you’ll notice a grip of pastas ready to serve, long noodles from angel hair to spin- ach fettucini. There’s also gluten-free pasta, rigatoni, tortellini, and a couple of organic, whole-wheat corkscrew shapes. Of course, the sauces are most impor- tant here, and there are enough decent


ones that I’d encourage asking for samples. I enjoyed tastes of a creamy vodka sauce, a sweet bell-peppery romesco, and a slightly tangy pomegranate mari- nara. Any might have suited my appetite, but as they ran about six or seven bucks apiece, I decided on two: beef bolognese and basil pesto. You can choose two or three vegetables to add


to the dish. Fresh tomato was a natural fit with the pesto, and while diced squash might have worked better, I felt like broccoli would give me something healthy to chew on. Bolognese shouldn’t need toppings, so I con-


sidered eating it as is. But green olives caught my attention, and again, for health, I added spinach. The woman who took the order offered to leave it fresh, but I opted to let it sauté in the small pan she used to heat up and merge the pastas and sauces. I didn’t add any additional meat to either dish, but I could have gone with sausage, meatballs, chicken, salmon, calamari, etc. for an extra two or three dollars. While the spinach didn’t add much, I liked the


green olives in the angel-hair bolognese — it put a slight puttanesca spin on the dish. I couldn’t call it anything special or exceptional, but I enjoyed it, especially for just under seven bucks. The basil was milder than I would have liked,


and since I got it with the organic wheat fusilli, the texture of the pesto was a little grainier than ideal. Of course, these were my decisions — I think opting for tortellini and sun-dried tomato would improve this sauce, and a creamy sauce would go better with the organic pasta. The rolls could handle less garlic, and a couple of the ingredients could be better, but most are a good step or three above fast food. I don’t know whether Pastalini will become the


franchise its owner envisions, but I can see why it’s looking good in Miramar. It’s decent, affordable pasta that sneaks in a few veggies if you let it. by Ian Anderson


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