Dominic’s Table coming to former Roppongi spot in La Jolla
After languishing vacant for nearly two years, the restaurant space at 875 Prospect St. that formerly housed Roppongi sushi (whose sign is still above the door since its closure in October 2015), has a new tenant in Dominic’s Table restaurant ... or should we say Dominic’s Table has a new home? Planning to open in late September or early October, t...
Officine Buona Forchetta Lives and Stalls by Simplicity at Liberty Station
Liberty Station is alive. Finally. Sometimes promise takes a while to manifest. The concept—to turn a 361-acre 1920s naval base into a mixed-use retail center and aortic gathering place for San Diegans—was greeted with a shrug and a sigh when it opened in 2007. Sure, the wide-open grassy promenades were perfect for kids’ birthdays and jumpy houses....
U.S. Pizza Team to Host West Coast Pizza Trials at Dominic's Italian Restaurant in Oceanside, California
The U.S. Pizza Team (USPT), sponsored by PMQ Pizza Magazine, has begun its search for the best pizzaioli in the country, who will vie for a chance to compete alongside the U.S. Pizza Team in the 2018 World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. The search will start off with the West Coast Pizza Trials at the beautiful Oceanside Harbor. Hosted by Domi...
'Roma Antica' Brings Traditional Roman Eats To Marina
A new Italian spot, Roma Antica, is opening up in the former Kobani Mediterranean Grill space at 3242 Scott St. in the Marina. While a soft opening will happen August 1st, the restaurant is hosting a neighborhood welcoming party this Saturday, July 29th. Roma Antica will serve up a variety of traditional homemade pastas (carbonara, cacio e pepe, bu...
A sneak peek at Cantinetta Luca's brave new era
Cantinetta Luca has a lot going for it. It enjoys a gorgeous high-ceiling dining room and bar flanked by the big brick oven and open kitchen, bread baked in house, one of the best house charcuterie programs in the area, habit-forming handmade pastas and all sorts of authentic arancini and meatballs to go with the massive bistecca fiorentina steaks....
It's all about the details at Vina Enoteca
Rocco Scordella is one of those high-energy guys who probably doesn't need much sleep. He is in perpetual motion with new ideas running through his noodle faster than a pasta machine can extrude spaghetti. Raised in Italy's Tuscany region, he enrolled in culinary school in Bologna at age 13. After earning a degree, he expanded his repertoire to oth...
Cotogna gets a new chef: Chris Cipollone
A few weeks out from his first day as the new executive chef at Cotogna, Quince’s rustic sibling, Chris Cipollone was nearly 3,000 miles away in his New York home, mulling over how to coordinate a short-notice move across the country. “It’s a lot,” he says with a laugh. “But San Francisco was always the dream for my wife and I. Before now, we just...
Uncle Paulie's Deli Opens in L.A.
On Saturday, July 1, 2017, New York native Paul Jamesopened an Italian-American Deli in the Beverly Grove section of Los Angeles. James moved to L.A. in 2015 and struggled to find a traditional East Coast sandwich. With the influx of east coasters migrating west, there seemed to be an obvious void needing to be filled. Uncle Paulie's is quickly fil...
LA’s Nerano Partners with 200-Year-Old Winery for a Pairing Dinner
Beverly Hills’ Nerano, an upscale Italian restaurant owned by the Toscana Restaurant Group, hosted its first in a series of monthly wine dinners. For this inaugural dinner in its swank BG Lounge, Nerano’s sommelier, Samantha Johnston, and executive chef, Michele Lisi, teamed up withMarchesi Antinori Wines ambassador Alessia Botturi to pair its...
Festa dell’ uva! celebrates grape harvest, new friends
Woodbridge Winery plants to celebrate the grape harvest with fine wine and Italian food next week, and Lodi wine lovers are invited to take part. Festa dell’ uva! — Italian for “grape festival” — will be held under tents outdoors. The long table covered in a traditional red-checkered tablecloth encourages guests to make new friends and enjoy a dinn...
Bravo Brio’s new Coastal concept features lighter fare, smaller restaurants
After almost 25 years of white-tablecloth, pasta-heavy restaurants, Bravo Brio Restaurant Group is lightening up. Columbus-based Bravo Brio is experimenting with an updated concept called Coastal Bar and Kitchen. The concept focuses less on heavy Italian staples such as lasagna — though you’ll still find it on the menu — and more on smaller plates,...
Sacramento’s best minestrone soup? It’s served at this baseball bar turned Italian restaurant
Joe Marty’s, the storied, baseball-themed bar and restaurant,served decent enough ballpark-inspired food when it reopened in late 2015, under new ownership and after a full rehab of the fire-damaged, long-vacant space in the historic Tower Theatre complex on Broadway. But I did not feel a need to go back after I reviewed it last year, since my revi...