DINING DAVID NELSON / FOOD CRITIC
San Diego Uptown News | Feb. 18-Mar. 3, 2011
11
1417 University Ave. 294-9201
treporcellini.com Lunch and dinner daily / Pastas and entrees $12.95-$23.95 Many a restaurant is built on such quivering quicksand that it’s effectively a house of cards, ready to tumble at the merest breath of breeze.
Not so Tre Porcellini, a new Hillcrest ristorante that snuggles comfortably between Baja Betty’s and Mamma Testa. Big bad wolves can line up to huff and puff all they like, but not one will be able to blow this place down—it’s just too cute. Cute as a but- ton, in fact, and the food is very well done, too. Who knew the Three Little Pigs had become accomplished restaurateurs? Wear white, dribble some marinara sauce on your clothes and you’ll match
Equal parts chef and partner of Hillcrest's Tre Porcellini, Roberto Gerbino (far right)stays true to his roots, and honors Italian cuisine by refusing to Ameri- canize the ingredients and keeps it authentica. (Michael Pawlenty/SDUN)
FROM PAGE 10 ITALY
El Cajon Boulevard with a bigger and better menu of Italian tapas that allows you to consume home- made lasagna, ravioli, chicken picatta and eggplant rollotini all in one sitting, thanks to doable por- tions offered at very gentle prices. Smoked meats and freshly baked foccacia bread have entered into the equation at the new location.
SANFILLIPO’S 2949 Fifth Ave., San Diego, CA 92102
299-6080 The 35-year-old Sanfillipo’s has
resumed cooking for its diehard followers after falling off the radar a year ago, when it vanished sud- denly from its former location a few blocks away. When the urge strikes for traditional spaghetti and hefty meatballs, we come here to combine the meal with cheesy gar- lic bread, generously topped pizza and perhaps a baked eggplant-moz- zarella casserole if we’ve invested a few hours at the gym.
ALEXANDER’S
3391 30 th St., San Diego, CA 92104
281-2539 Head south of University on
30th Street and behold Alexan- der’s. The small restaurant greets with white walls and linens and feels spanking new, despite operat- ing here for several years. North Park residents regard it as one of their best kept Italian secrets, but we’re already hooked on its baked vodka Bolognese and cilantro- pesto sea scallops.
TASTE OF ITALY 1013 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92103 688-0333
A landmark on the Hillcrest strip
for more than 15 years, Taste of Italy has successfully met the competition with a bright remodel as well as wine- storage lockers that cater to Uptown oenophiles. The rarity of homemade Italian sausage shows up here on crusty sandwich rolls or as an accom- paniment to various pasta dishes. The salad menu is immense and the pasta casings used in baked manicotti and cannelloni are still made from scratch.
OLIVETTO CAFÉ & WINE BAR 860 W. Washington St., San Diego, CA 92103 220-8222
Classic and contemporary
Gold Medallion Award Winner 2009
Olivetto's meat and cheese plate
Thank you to the community for 21 Years of Support!
SPECIAL Mon-Fri Starting at
LUNCH $4.95
527 University Ave (619) 291-7525
www.tasteofthaisandiego.com dessert . drink . dine Hillcrest
the décor quite well, along with some of the principal dishes. The look is ivory and crimson, a paean to Valentines Day that plays 365 days a year and also expresses itself in charming touches like the chopped tomato dip (be warned that it stains) served with the
Italian dishes comprise the menu at Olivetto Café & Wine Bar, a stylish double-storefront restaurant in Mission Hills that exceeds the notion of a mere café. Veal ravi- oli and homemade gnocchi rank among the big draws, in addition to mushroom pate and a beautifully presented salumi and cheese plat- ter from the small-plates menu.u
yeasty, crusty Italian slices in the bread basket. While plenty bright and busy, the décor borrows “minimal- ist” elements from the 1960s, and certainly would have drawn Austin Pow- ers and his London mod squad. There’s not a brick in sight (you may recall that two of the diminutive porkers declined to build brick houses), but the open kitchen reminds constantly that real work goes on here. Tre Porcellini accomplishes an interesting feat of trompe l’oeil, since a room that ap-
pears narrow and tiny from the sidewalk opens into a very large, very comfortable space that holds a crowd. Chef and partner Roberto Gerbino, “first equal”
see Porcellini, page 22 HAPPY
HOUR 7 Days
3 to 6pm
20% OFF ENTIRE CHECK
With the purchase of two entrees. Does not include drinks. Not valid with any other offers or on holidays. Exp: 03-03-11
Authentic Old World Mexican Cusine 3693 Fifth Avenue
• 619.546.5934 •
huapangoscuisine.com Pennsylvania and Fifth Ave
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24