LITTLE ITALY IN SAN DIEGO MEANS PIZZA
Baby Boomers,
Today, I would like to continue our San Diego travel blog with a short review of some of the restaurants we visited in Little Italy last weekend.
What would a trip to Little Italy be without the food, the wine and the calories?
Strangely enough, we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the restaurants and as usual, once I find great places I like to stick with them.
But since we were in Little Italy it wasn't hard to find some great places to eat.
THE LINE AT FILIPPI'S
Filippi's Pizza Grotto - The one place we had heard about and really did want to visit but were not successful was Filippi's Pizza grotto.
We had heard that this was "The" place for pizza in Little Italy.
For whatever reason, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto has turned into one of the city’s favorite casual Italian restaurants.
The first time we went there (the second time we tried we waited in line for 15 minutes and hadn't moved so we left again) we were scared away by the line out the front door.
The next morning, we stopped in to check the place out and found out what all of the hubbub was about.
The front of the building hosts an authentic Italian deli replete with a meat and cheese counter, dried fish, olives, oils and can goods…you get the picture. There is basically anything you need to make a true Italian feast.
In the back we found two large cozy dining rooms of red and white checkered table cloths and a ceiling decorated with signed wine battles. I guess, once you finish your meal/wine you can ask the wait-staff for a sharpie and autograph your bottle. He or she will then hang it from the ceiling over your table, adding it to the thousands that are already strung from the beams, representing numerous nights of happy eating in Little Italy.
Everything I have read says that the pizza is the best in town so whether this is a "tourist trap" or an authentic slice of Italy I can't say but I do know that I will definitely eat there on my next visit to San Diego even if I have to stand in line for an hour.
THE DELI INSIDE OF FILIPPI'S
The front of the building hosts an authentic Italian deli replete with a meat and cheese counter, dried fish, olives, oils and can goods…you get the picture.
There is basically anything you need to make a true Italian feast.
In the back we found two large cozy dining rooms of red and white checkered table cloths and a ceiling decorated with signed wine battles.
I guess, once you finish your meal/wine you can ask the wait-staff for a sharpie and autograph your bottle. He or she will then hang it from the ceiling over your table, adding it to the thousands that are already strung from the beams, representing numerous nights of happy eating in Little Italy.
Everything I have read says that the pizza is the best in town so whether this is a "tourist trap" or an authentic slice of Italy I can't say but I do know that I will definitely eat there on my next visit to San Diego even if I have to stand in line for an hour.
TRATTORIA FANTASTICA - OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT OF THE TRIP
Trattoria Fantastica - This is the only restaurant we visited more than once during our stay. It is located a breath away from the Little Italy street sign.
How did we wind up there three times?
Our first stop was by chance on Saturday morning. I think we were a little "fuzzy" still from our long Friday night at the Padres baseball game so we let fate play its part in our choice of where to eat breakfast and as fate would have it we were not disappointed.
As we ventured down India Street for the first time, the center of activity in Little Italy and only a block from our hotel, we only got half way down the block and as far as Trattoria Fantastica.
The name says it all.
This is a great little charming and inviting place to eat.
TRATTORIA FANTASTICA
There is actually more than meets the eye with this establishment. There are two restaurants under the same green awning and it appears they are run by the same owner.
Trattoria Fantastica is the conventional Italian restaurant and
Cafe Zucchero is just steps away through the side door offering the most eye catching selection of Italian pastries, gelato and coffees.
As far as I am concerned, there is nothing better than a greasy egg sandwich to get you going after a night of too many beers.
But if you get up a little late a BLT sandwich can be just as satisfying.
How about a BLT with fried egg on it?
That's what struck both my partner's and my fancy on the breakfast menu and man was it good.
It was just the right size (big) had marvelous crispy bacon, the bread was toasted to perfection and the eggs were not overly greasy. The coffee was good, rich and strong and the service, even though the place was crowded with Mimosa drinkers, was quick and lively.
CAFE ZUCCHERO
As I said before there is more than meets the eyes here.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is open, authentic Italian.
The décor is tasteful and modern and seating is comfortable and set up so you can chat with your neighbors (or eyeball their food) if you want.
The front opens to the street so you can do some prime people watching.
But what is even more interesting is that they offer both street patio seating and a quaint patio in the back which I didn't discover until later.
We stopped by "The Trat" for the second time early Sunday morning to have breakfast before our day at the beaches but the restaurant side was closed due to the Sicilian festival that was been held that day.
So when life hands you lemons, we made lemonade.
We stopped at the pastry shop and decided to order some "decadence" with our coffee.
We stared at the pastry case for 15 minutes before my gal decided on the strawberry napoleon and I had an apple pastry.
Both were incredibly tasty.
We sat outside at a table and watched the street vendors set up their tents and wares for the festival.
SICILIAN FEST IN LITTLE ITALY
After a long day at the beaches, we returned for dinner that night (our third time there) since we could not get into Filippi's because of the long line.
This was another great twist of fate.
Our meal was fantastic.
My girlfriend felt it was the best Italian food she had ever tasted.
We split a Caesar salad and the Boscaiola, a wonderful creamy penne pasta dish with chicken, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and garlic.
The salad was authentic with just a hint of anchovies.
It seemed like the waiter brought us an extra big serving of both salad and pasta since we were splitting the meal.
We tossed in a few glasses of the house Cabernet and an éclair for dessert from Café Zucchero and we had what I would classify as an almost perfect meal.
Like I said earlier, we didn't spend a lot of time frequenting the restaurants on this trip but a few of the other establishments we visited were pretty darn good.
ZIA'S BISTRO
Zia's Bistro – We stopped here late Saturday afternoon after our trip to Balboa Park for a couple of glasses of wine but didn't eat.
This is more of a bar with some table seating.
The décor is smart and Michael, our bartender was very pleasant and made some great wine recommendations.
There were others at the bar having dinner and appetizers and their food smelled tasty and looked plentiful.
LATE NIGHT AT LANDINI'S PIZZERIA
Landini's Pizzeria– My girlfriend and I stopped here on our way home from from the Padres game.
It was late and Landini's seemed like the only place to grab some pizza.
The place is unassuming and doesn't have a lot of frills.
The late night menu offers thin crust style pizza with their specials, mainly 2 slices and a drink for a good price.
There was plenty of toppings to choose from and plenty of drinks and beers on tap.
If you are out late and need some pizza to soak up the night's over indulgences then this is the place.
P.S. The pizza wasn't bad right out of the refrigerator in the morning.
NAPIZZA
Napizza – This restaurant specializes in Italian "pizza al taglio" or pizza by the slice only in the authentic Rome tradition.
After a long day Saturday at Balboa Park and a couple of glasses of wine at Zia's we found ourselves hungry and again pizza was on our mind.
We headed again for Filippi's but the line was too long so we roamed the streets of Little Italy and wound up at Napizza.
They feature an awesome selection of artisan pizzas & an organic salad bar.
They say they partner with the local farms for their organic ingredients, herbs, vegetables and spices to offer a true “farm to table” dining experience.
I had a satisfying Caesar salad and two slices of "spice me up" with potatoes, mushrooms, sausage and jalapeno pizza.
My girlfriend had a small house salad and "veggy me" slices with all locally grown veggies.
I really really liked my food but my girlfriend wasn't that impressed.
Maybe a return trip can help us decide.
I hope you found my little tour of Little Italy restaurants to be the most entertaining and resourceful information you have ever read.
Tell all of your friends about it. Send it to your local newspapers. Print it out and tape it to sign poles.
Let me know what you thought about it: things I missed, what I needed to add, what would help you as a baby boomer traveler.....things you would have done differently.
I promise I will become more focused and helpful on future trips if you send me your feedback.
I do hope you understand why I spent a week writing about our little trip?
Because you are 50 years old and it's time to really start enjoying life.
Let me repeat............Get out there and start enjoying life.
Treat life as your own little travel blog.
Take a chance, try a new restaurant, sample a new kind of food, walk somewhere instead of driving, talk to the people next to you, do something completely different.
You will be surprised how much richer your life can become.
Thanks for joining me…………...............
SAND ART IN THE STREET NEAR HOTEL DEL CORONADO