Charisma Cucina Italiana (Hillcrest): Now THAT's how I like to eat!

So I read reviews a lot and a place seems intriguing....sometimes I get there, sometimes I don't, sometimes it's disappointing....sometimes it's like Charisma!!!

Amen, Yelpers....I'm so glad I went here!!

OVERALL: Real Modern Italian, not Little Italy or Italian-American. Simple and perfect.....The kind of food I would happily eat for a last supper. I love California cuisine, and farm-to-table, and out-of-the box and all that....but this is simple, well-executed, and scrumptious. I could eat this any day and forget all about the celebrity chefs.

ATMOSPHERE: Tiny, but beautiful red colors, right on University Avenue.

WINES BY THE GLASS: Now you're talking! I was delighted to have an excellent selections of Italian wines by the glass for $5-8 ($2.50 - 4 at happy hour!). Had to pass on a $5 Sangiovese and a $6.50 Super Tuscan (!) for a $7 Nero d'Avola Sicilian. DELISH!

BREAD: Super-fresh and hot, from Bread and Cie. Comes with a lentil spread that was scrumptious.

WAITER: Very gracious and efficient young Italian. Who cares if I had to ask him to keep repeating each component of the specials because I understood 25% of what he was saying? He still had great recommendations.

SALAD/SOUP: I went with a nightly special, mixed greens with gorgonzola, carmelized walnuts, blueberries and a balsamic reduction. I was afraid the gorgonzola might be too heavy. It came shredded (how about that?) and the plate was beautiful. I scarfed up the whole salad. Cute Husband enjoyed the soup of the day, a chicken minestrone.

ENTREES: CH was less excited about his veal parm than mine ("this is too much food for me," he said). I loved the perfect rosemary potatoes on his plate, though, and the delicious Italian vegetables. Oh - and my pasta dish? I have never even heard of the noodle I got (and it's not on the online menu). It was a longer, straighter version of gemelli. But it came with diced sauteed eggplant, smoked mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil. It was RIDICULOUSLY TASTY. Yes, I would happily eat this for my last meal.

DESSERT: I was pleasantly sated from my food. CH got a cannoli. I thought the shell was just ok, but enjoyed a taste of the filling.

PRICES: Insanely reasonable.

On yelp, they say the service can be slow - and the kitchen is postage stamp sized, so I can imagine it gets slow when the restaurant is full. We dined early so had very efficient service. WOULD HAPPILY RETURN FOR A SLICE OF ITALIAN FOOD HEAVEN! Some people say Bice is the best Italian food in San Diego - some say it's Bencotto. I vastly preferred this to Bice (simple and cheaper and tastier); after eating at Bencotto I got a horrible stomach ache. So this is an easy choice for me as the best Italian (modern or not!) in town.