Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gay-owned and straight-friendly, this restaurant-bar is always a party with a just-back-
from-Margaritaville vibe (and dozens of tequilas to take you back there) alongside dishes
like Mexi Queen queso dip, You Go Grill swordfish tacos and Fire in the Hole fajitas.
Daily specials.
Little Italy
Little Italy is - surprise! - a happy hunting ground for Italian cooking and cafes, and some
non-Italian newcomers round out the scene, like
Ballast Point Tasting Room
.
Juniper & Ivy
CONTEMPORARY CALIFORNIAN
$9-17, mains $19-36; 4-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat)
Chef Richard Blais has opened San Diego's restaurant of the moment. The menu changes
daily, but if we mention molecular gastronomic takes on prawn and pork rigatoni; artisan-
farmed strip steak with smoked potato, porcini onion rings and kimchi ketchup; and
homemade yodel snack cakes for dessert, do you get the idea?
Bencotto
ITALIAN
11:30am-9:30pm Sun-Thu, to 10:30pm Fri & Sat; )
Bencotto melds the old with the new of Little Italy - contemporary, angular, multistory,
architect-designed, arty and green - and the food is great too, from fresh-sliced prosciutto
to pasta
a modo tuo
(your way), with a over 100 potential combos of fresh pasta and sauce.
Filippi's Pizza Grotto
PIZZA, DELI
619-232-5094; 1747 India St; dishes $6-20;
9am-10pm Sun & Mon, to
10:30pm Tue-Thu, to 11:30pm Fri & Sat; )
There are often lines out the door for Filippi's old-school Italian cooking (pizza, spaghetti
and ravioli) served on red-and-white-checked tablecloths in the dining room festooned
with murals of
la bella Italia
. The front of the shop is an excellent Italian deli.
