Trattoria La Strada
702 5th Ave., San Diego
www.trattorialastrada.com
619-239-3400
We walked into the sophisticated dining room and I squeezed John’s hand. Ahh, date night! From the moment we were greeted at this fine Gaslamp Quarter Italian restaurant, we were served with attentive finesse.
Friday night strolled past our window-side table while the aroma of simmering Tuscan cuisine whispered sweet nothings from the open-view kitchen. We started with the Bruschetta Toscana ($6.95). Even though some (only some) of the toasted bread was burnt, it didn’t matter much; we could have drunk the luscious little trough of tomato/olive oil/basil/garlic topping straight.
The Zuppa di Funghi ($9.95), house-made porcini mushroom cream soup with Parmesan, was a bowl of heaven—especially with La Strada’s oversized spoon in hand. Feed me big spoonfuls of this soup every day of my life and I would still want more. Mamma Mia!
I munched on my Insalata Toscanella salad ($11.95) with fresh mozzarella, avocado and luxuriant sheets of shaved Parmesan on a bed of arugula. But we gasped (truthfully) when John’s Insalata Augustus ($15.95) arrived. It was a petite sculpture of Alaskan king crab meat, shrimp, hearts of palm, avocado, Belgian endive and corn, ingeniously complemented with citrus mint dressing.
My Gnocchetti Sardi ($19.95) was tender, al dente to perfection with succulent bites of salmon and eggplant. The creamy brandy tomato sauce was just novel enough without diminishing the comfort food aspect of the dish.
We had never seen prawns as jumbo as those bathing in John’s bowl of Cioppino ($30.95). The spicy tomato/white wine broth was brimming with a medley of seafood. Though we shared each dish, I admit that I kept eyeing John’s disappearing share of steaming Cioppino, and he gallantly offered me extra spoonfuls.
After our feast we opted to share dessert. The Vulcano ($6.95) was a hit-the-spot rich chocolate cake and yes, melted dark chocolate lava flowed from within the warm crater-like center. A more bittersweet lava would better balance the sweetness of the cake, but that’s just my inner queen speaking; it was fabulous as it was.
The evening evolved as an aria to the senses. The superb service continued as we lingered over refills of coffee, even after paying the check. We weren’t surprised to learn Trattoria La Strada won Lamplighter Awards for Best Downtown Dessert, Best Italian Restaurant and Best Fine Dining Restaurant.
There is no child’s menu but half-portions are offered. Though not a top choice for very young children, pre-adolescents and older youth would enjoy this dining indulgence. The refined ambience might turn even our scrabbly guys into civilized members of society, if only for a couple of hours.
As a date night destination, Trattoria La Strada shines as a treasure in the Gaslamp Quarter, where some “fine” restaurants rest on their laurels. Not the case here. Regulars are unwilling to forego meals here even in tough economic times, as evidenced by the full dining room. Early dinner specials are available Sunday through Thursday. The adjacent lounge hosts Happy Hour Sunday through Thursday and live music on Saturday nights.
Ondine Brooks Kuraoka is a freelance writer.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|