Now Open: Fresh Modern Italian in Downtown San Diego at Monzu Fresh Pasta
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Now Open: We Ate at Every Restaurant in the New Little Italy Food Hall
This has been quite a week for the beautiful new Piazza della Famiglia in Little Italy, a pedestrian plaza that runs down West Date Street between India and Columbia. They re-launched a Wednesday farmers market and today, the long awaited Little Italy Food Hall is officially open to the public.
We got a sneak peak of the 5,000-square-foot food court and took on the task of tasting dishes from all six restaurants. Here's a preview of what to expect.
Not Not Tacos by Sam the Cooking Guy
Okay, to be honest, I kind of wanted to hate this place. The menu is all about crazy riffs on tacos, from egg salad to the Korean short rib version we sampled. It screams gimmick.
But, here's the deal: the tacos are delicious. Insanely delicious. The Korean short rib taco was served on a flatbread that more closely resembled an Indian chapati than a tortilla, and wrapped in the chewy bread was an intense combination of tender, fiery beef, creamy aioli, crisp spring onions, and who knows what else.
The result left this hater stunned into silence. I am a believer. There's a reason the personable “Cooking Guy” has all those the Emmys and a successful cookbook. The man knows how to make a downright delicious plate of food. This was the shop we were all most impressed with, and most likely to return to.
Sushi chef Antonio Quindere is the man behind the eclectic seafood menu at Single Fin Kitchen.
The menu offers various types of sushi, sashimi, and hand rolls, but their specialty is donburi, which is essentially a Japanese poke bowl, only with a greater focus on spiked rices amped up with the likes of shiso fumi, furikake, and an interesting Peruvian twist that involves aji amarillo chili and corn dust.
They also offer a vegetarian version that features local pickled and raw veggies.
This casual outlet of Zen Modern Asian Bistro in Carmel Mountain offers a casual pan-Asian range of dishes from boba to Japanese ramen to Taiwanese noodles.
One of their mainstays are the wings. We sampled the Zen, topped with green and white onions, garlic, black pepper, and ginger, and the deceptively named Salt and Pepper version. The salt and pepper wings are actually marinated in hot Szechuan spices, chili flakes, and green onion, then flash fried, and then finished with an unassuming sprinkle of salt and pepper.
They are a salty, spicy surprise that we liked better than the more elaborately named Zen version.
These guys are dedicated to bringing New England seafood classics to SoCal, and they keep it traditional with cups and bread bowls of clam chowder, fried clams, lobster mac and cheese, and rolls. The crab and lobster rolls are served, as they should be, on griddled, split top buns.
You can order your lobster roll chilled with mayo or warm with drawn butter, in a move that proves their egalitarian approach to presenting this East Coast staple (a Maine-style roll will always be chilled with mayo, while the warm drawn-butter variety is a staple of Connecticut, and a topic of great debate).
These natives of Victoria, B.C. first introduced their casual, sustainably-focused meat plate and sandwich concept to Liberty Station a couple years ago, serving whole roast chickens, porchetta-cut-to-order, and meatballs served on plates, sandwiches, and on their own in cups.
At their new location, they have added a build-your-own superfood salad option to the lineup.
The meatballs remain juicy and formidable.
This Milan-style pizzeria caused an uproar at the preview event, turning out paper thin pies topped with ribbons of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and ENTIRE ORBS of burrata cheeses.
They were not only spectacular to look at, these pies were temples built to celebrate the excellent ingredients used in their construction. That burrata? So serious.
Behind the takeaway counter, you can watch your 12-inch pizza cook in the traditional Italian oven the team imported. They will also be offering whole wheat and gluten-free crust options.
The Little Italy Food Hall Bar
In the center of the hall you'll find a beautiful marble-topped bar. Offering craft beer, wine, and cocktails, the focus skews Italian, with modern, light takes on belinis and negronis, as well as an impressive number of biodynamic wines on the likewise Italian-centric wine list.
We appreciated the real glassware and more upscale vibe of the bar, which is a perfect complement to this high-end food court.
Plan Your Visit to the Little Italy Food Hall
Location/Parking: The Piazza runs down Date Street between India and Columbia, so look for parking on the surrounding residential blocks. If you're feeling fancy, you can find valet parking on India Street.
Where to Sit: Grab your food and take a seat at the bar, at one of the high-tops, or at a communal tables inside or head out to the plaza to eat al fresco at one of the bistro tables. As a bonus, there are plans for cooking demonstrations and other live events on the piazza this summer.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday and Saturday, 11am-11pm
Happy Hour: Weekdays, 3pm-6pm ($2 off beer, cocktails, and wine by-the-glass)
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