Caffe Calabria (North Park) Restaurant Review: Delicious and Kid-Friendly!

We had been to Caffe Calabria only once before, with another couple. No babysitter tonight - but I was craving wood-oven Italian pizza (mmmm). Decided to try it out with SuperBoy.

SUCCESS!

Atmosphere: Not only cool and romantic and hip for grown-ups, but cool for a little boy. The inside is made to feel like a night street, all lit up. SB liked the fake windows and facades. The other theme of the restaurant is soccer. So there are Italian Jerseys everywhere - and soccer on the screen. The fact that SB was still in his soccer jersey from his game today received kudos from the wait staff, which SB liked.

Pizza: super yummy. We liked both the Margherita and the Margherita DOC with veggies added.

Frascati wine: delish and only $6

Green salad for only $5: super delicious and enough for us to divide in three parts as an app.

SB also liked the aranciata and was super well-behaved.

Oh - and the food came out so expeditiously.  Score!!!

I asked SB if he wants to come here again. He rolled his eyes and said, "Of course," as in "Duh, Mom."  North Park is also so much fun to visit. We saw an awesome African dance class going on at Stage 7.

***
He was so well-behaved that we went next to Heaven Sent Desserts at Univ and 30th for dessert.  SB got a red velvet cake, which he liked. I got german chocolate cake, which was tasty too (and enormous).  CH got a 3-chocolate cake, which was the yummiest, in my view.

Caffe Calabria and Heaven Sent: a fantastic date night for the whole family!

Quick takes: Katana, Urban Pi, Native Foods Cafe

Some quick reports:

Katana: we are going more and more. It's super kid-friendly. SuperBoy loves the little flashlights they give you with your soft drink, and he also loves their miso soup (with extra seaweed), plus edamame, rice and cubed tofu.  I like the ex-boyfriend roll when it's on special. I am exploring their winelist. Had one bad Chard, but the La Crema chard is very good, and the Greg Norman pinot is super delish and not super expensive.

Native Foods: LOVE this place. Want to eat my way through the menu. Last time tried: Moroccan bowl, seitan sub, macrobiotic bowl (super yum, I could eat this often).

Urban Pi:  Went successfully with a big group recently. I still believe in staying away from the nasty tomato sauce,but the other food there is good.  Mom got a yummy white pizza. I got the delish beet and arugula salad with a yumm vegan corn soup-of-the day.  I also like their pomegranate drink.

Want to take SuperBoy to Native Foods so can eat there more!

Napizza (Little Italy)

PRGirl told me about this place several months ago. That girl is spot-on - I should not take so long to listen to her recommendations.

Delicious little squares (not exactly East Coast Sicilian, but square) of pizza of all varieties. I got one with truffle oil and mushrooms that was a little slice of heaven. Got another called the parmagiana that had eggplant, pesto, etc.  Really delectable. Didn't get to try their salads or paninis.

This place is legit.  Delicious and reasonably priced for local, organic, fast-ish takeout!

Real Food and Spirits Review (Solana Beach Neapolitan pizzeria and bar)

Boys were not restaurant-ready last night but I was in the mood for something delicious, so I thought of where to try takeout from. Had seen a feature on Real Food and Spirits. The whole interview was a little absurd (women want ___; men want ___; women decide on where to go, so we added food for the women!). But it sounded like they had good Neapolitan pizza.

Atmosphere: chill, sophisticated neighborhood bar, cool for being in the Lomas Santa Fe strip mall near the tire store.

Entryway: oh! they have gelato from Bottega Italiana in UTC. I'd know that mojito gelato anywhere! 

Servers: friendly, helped me with my carryout.

Food at home: 
--Boys each got a kids' size pizza for $8.  They were quite large.  SuperBoy liked it, but Cute Husband did not. It really had a "kids" taste to it - mixture of mozzarella and cheddar, pretty sweet.  CH is not interested in going to this place again.

--"Italian inspired" Caesar salad for $12.  Fine, but very ordinary. Not humongous. Not worth $12, especially to eat at home.

--My margherita pizza: added eggplant to it. Tasty, not great.  Certainly better than having to drive to North Park for neapolitan pizza. However, they told me it would be 30-40 mins. for takeout, and by the time I got there and brought the pizza home, it was C-O-L-D.  So I had to heat it in the microwave and it lost something.  Was tasty for dinner - not sure I'd spend time going to that restaurant v. other choices.

Looks like a cool place to have a drink with friends if you have time for that. Not my perfect place for a GNO. Not sure I'd do takeout from here again.  HOWEVER, it's nice to have that gelato available in SB, and I think the place is open all day, not just for dinner. Yum....pistachio/coconut/chocolate/mojito gelato near Marshall's and Sprouts!

Urban Pi (Solana Beach): Yum for takeout

Drove home from late night at work with no dinner planned, craving Urban Pi.  Got a delicious Skinny V, with some stuff added (olives, mushrooms, ricotta).  Their pies are delish - especially without the yukky oregan-y tomato sauce.  Loved the salad - a side only $4. The pie $7.50 for as much veggies as you want to throw on. Got SB a peanut butter-oatmeal cookie to have tomorrow ($2) - he and CH had already eaten! This place may be in my own regular takeout rotation even if CH isn't crazy about it. Fast, delish - love the crust!

(would you believe I almost spent $11 for a smoothie again? But the BBar was closed (closes around 4:30 or 5).  Still a little sick and was craving an overpriced organic raw vegan smoothie....)

Urban Pi Review (Del Mar/Solana Beach)

In the place where Pasta Pronto used to be on Via de la Valle, comes Urban Pi - from the same folks who brought us Urban Plates (and before that, who owned Pasta Pronto - this is their new and improved 21st century concept). I think they're planning to franchise both, and these are the pilot restaurants.  Urban Pi's concept is "customized artisan pizza - while you watch, ready in less than 5 minutes" with tons of organic things.

THE GOOD
--beautiful design, airy, nice lighting and decor

--fast and simple service, especially compared to the hot mess that ordering is at Urban Plates. Here they got the concept right. One line. You order your ingredients added to your pizza Subway-style or order a pre-designed one from the menu board. It comes quickly.

--I loved the salads: I got a $4 half-house salad; was very large and exceptionally tasty. Ate every morsel of mixed greens, candied cranberry walnuts, blue cheese, honey ginger-blood orange dressing (I left over only the ripe pears, which were not for me)

--SuperBoy was willing to eat his caesar salad - also a very generous portion for a half salad $4; like a typical caesar but with chopped greek olives on top and shaved asiago. Both salads come with some respectable focaccia

--I loved my pizza. I decided to cutomize one. Luckily I skipped the tomato sauce (because it's nasty!).  Had fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, ricotta cheese, EVOO. I could have added many more veggies for the same price.  Loved the crust - loved the whole taste.  This is not NY pizza at all, but the crust was charred and seasoned well.  Scrumptious and very generous size. $7.50!!  as is every pizza there unless you add something really fancy, like burrata.

THE BAD
--The boys ordered cheese pizza and thus were subjected to the nasty tomato sauce they have there.  Too much oregano. Standard cheese pizza comes with a "cheese mix," not the fresh mozzarella. Their pizzas were orangey and not appetizing looking, with too much oregano on top (have I mentioned the oregano)? I did enjoy eating their crusts, but whenever I hit the tomato sauce: yuk! SB wouldn't eat his at all; Cute Husband ate his because he was hungry, but wouldn't return.

--Desserts: They look delicious - a huge variety of reasonably priced yummy looking things, just like at Urban Plates (even cheaper than urban plates - $2 per cookie or brownie)! But we ordered a few to take home and they are not as good as they looked.  Chai Chocolate Cookie: blech, chalky (it looked so scrumptious).  Jam-centered shortbread cookie:  not the best cookie ever, but at $2, it was tasty enough so I can't complain.  We still have CH's flourless chocolate cake (one of the more expensive at $5) - we'll try it later.

In short, I loved my meal....but my boys did not like theirs.  Next to us someone had ordered the special pom-agave-hibiscus drink and they were making faces. I asked them about it, and they said it had a very "particular" taste. I don't think they meant it in a good way.

SO....if you want to try it, go for it!!! Just, if you're a pizza snob, do not get the tomato sauce. You can make lots of beautiful and yummy combos for yourself with EVOO, fresh mozz, and whatever want.  The salads are delicious - I bet some of the desserts must be good. Unfortunately, my boys will not be returning there with me (I suggested CH try the pizza next time with no tomato sauce. He resopnded, "You've gone too California on me. What's pizza without sauce?" And the tomato sauce is, let me say again, gross).

Some quick takes: Trattoria I Trulli, Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria Encinitas), Tender Greens (UTC)

Some quick takes:

--had lunch with a coworker at I Trulli recently.  Hadn't been there in years. It's actually quite good. I got penne nonina (eggplant, tomato, garlic), and it was a large, tasty portion. Bread was very good, and the entree at lunch (about $16) also comes with a small salad that was light and perfectly tasty.  That's more than I like to spend for lunch (and it's not quick) but I should remember to go again for dinner. It's been out of our loop, and it's good food. Also had a nice cappucino.

--Blue Ribbon Artisan: I think it's declining in quality. I don't want to spend that much when the food is inconsistent. Got buttnerut squash soup (was fine but nothing special; for $10 at lunch I'm expecting a Wade Hagemann masterpiece).  Got the butternut squash special pizza (which had no tomato sauce). Was the best part of the meal.  I still think their tomato sauce is not good. Tasted SB's cheese pizza. Yuk. He didn't like it either. On the other hand, I didn't remember BRAP is a train restaurant - coaster came right by during the meal. Also, he enjoyed his caesar salad, and it was a large enough portion for me to take home and enjoy more the next day.  So it was a pleasant, very expensive, not that great meal on the patio, where SB sat tight in the hopes of seeing trains. I still want to hit Kealani's again soon, but it's not open Sundays.

--Tender Greens: ah, how I love thee.  On date night, we were going to the movies in this neighborhood, and I couldn't decide where to go. I don't think of TG-in-the-mall as a date night restaurant - it's a grab reasonably good food with SB in tow restaurant.  I wanted to try Seasons 52 but it was all booked.  There aren't a ton of delicious dinner options in UTC (we can do Apollonia with boy, so it's also not a special date night choice; Wired is apparently overpriced at dinner and not as good as it is at lunch).  So we went to TG because we couldn't think of anything better. Oh, TG, how I love you - the delightful surprise of a new yumminess.  Soup was broccoli-potato (divine on a cold night) or roasted veg. (yuk - glad I sampled them both first).  Thoroughly enjoyed my tuna plate (I asked for it medium, not the default of rare- must remember to do going forward), with yummy mashed potatoes and divine roasted veggies. Wasn't hungry enough for one of their yummy desserts. Tasty and delightful - and just fine for date night.

Caffe Calabria (North Park): MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Finally tried Caffe Calabria with Sabragirl and her man this evening. Yum!!!!!

Delicious red wine. And they give you a taste to see what you prefer.  The waitress took a while to get to us, but then she pegged me perfectly on wine. Loved my dolcetto! (Sangiovese was good - had gotten from a busboy - but not as good as what she helped me select).

Appetizer: rosemary flatbread (complimentary): yum

Salad: Burrata: super-yummy barrata, and nice tomatoes

Pizza: Loved the verdure calzone that S'girl's Man got. Would try again. Also loved my Margherita D.O.C pizza. Unfortunately, CH didn't like his proscuitto calzone as much (or his prosciutto salad). Though he thought the prosciutto itself was very good, he didn't like the sauce/dough that much. :( Othewise, this would be a regular spot for us.

Dessert: we shared the mezza luna. Super-yum.  Loved the vanilla gelato especially. Tasted the capuccino. Very yummy.

What a great, cute place (and they take reservations, which I don't think Pizzeria Bruno does). Would love to come here again, though perhaps not with CH!

A recommendation worth following up on: Spirito's in Oceanside/Carlsbad

I would just add this to my block of restaurants to consider on the right.

But a Brooklyn boy told me tonight I need to try Spirito's in Carlsbad...that they have great NY pizza and that their other cooked Italian food is fantastic.

Checked on Yelp. No haters. Everyone says it's delicious...and it's actually New Jersey pizza. (FoodGirl will be the judge of that).

Must try sometime soon!

Sicilian Thing (North Park)

I need to show some love to Sicilian Thing, current holder (in our view) of the title of Best NY Pizza in SD, ever since the Bongiorno's sold the Miramar location and the pizza there has become crappy (according to CH - I haven't been there since). Bongiorno's Solana is still good, but for the very best NY (or rather Philly) pizza, we head on down to North Park.

Today: CH enjoyed his (corner!) Sicilian slices.

SB enjoyed his Hawaiian punch (Daddy was in an indulgent mood) and round cheese.

I enjoyed my mushroom sicilian (oooh - the Sicilian really is fab there), but I tried a new slice (vegeta) and it was not as good as the others (used bland California olives, which are not my thing).

The Barack-oli Ricotta or the Nino Espinosa are still my faves there.

Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria (Encinitas): Takeout

We found ourselves in Solana Beach near dinner time on a cranky day for SB, and decided to call Blue Ribbon for takeout. The loot in short:

--still love the signature pizza: still don't like lemon in general but love love love this ricotta and lemon zest pizza

--still not crazy about their tomato-sauce based pies, but SB is fine with them

--sweet corn soup: CH and I agree that it's DYNAMITE. $10 a portion, but the portions are big enough for 2 generous bowls, so it's less obscene than it sounds. (Though it's cheaper than if Wade Hageman was still at Blanca!)

--salad with peaches, blue cheese, and almonds: absolutely fabulous; was thrilled to have some leftover for the next day

--butterscotch pudding: what more is there to say? It's salty and sweet and ridiculously tasty.

Not the best seating environment for Boy, but we have to remember to do takeout once in a while. Love WH's food!

And on a more modest note, must give a shoutout to Waters in Solana Beach for the fabulous albacore salad and roasted vegetables I had today....

Pizza Patrol: Ciro's (Downtown/Gaslamp) Review + Viva Pops

Pizza! Foodgirl's family likes pizza. And we do have quite a few respectable NY pizza places in SD (and by respectable I mean they'll rival our fave places in NY/NJ). Readers of this blog know that our favorite are Bongiorno's Miramar and Sicilian Thing.

We also are known to happily get a slice at Bongiorno's Solana Beach. Carmine's in Oceanside is worth returning to; Bronx in Hillcrest is fine but not worth driving to from chez us; and we'd eat at Basic Urban downtown if it were more kid-friendly and had slices. Blue Ribbon is also super-yummy though not NY style. And Regents Pizzeria is not really authentic but it is tasty.

And we did not like Luigi's the one time we tried it: the Ca.-style white pizza was yummy, but the basic cheese slice was a tomato sauce abomination.

Today we hit Ciro's downtown for the first time. Verdict: not super-authentic, but definitely pretty yummy. The tomato sauce was a little sweet for me, and the sicilian pizza was too spongy to have any credibility East of the Mississippi (though it was tasty in a roll-with-cheese kind of way). However, the crust on the thin-crust pizza was perfect, and I loved my white slice. Would happily return when we are downtown.

In fact, it made for a perfect day with Super-Toddler, who had filled up his reward chart from sleeping all night long several weeks in a row. We took Amtrak to downtown and met CH there (the times between return trains were not convenient today so we made it a one-way trip). CH drove us to Ciro's; then we went to the train museum; then we hit Viva Pops. (hehehe - any day is a great day for Viva Pops - but especially a hot day!!).

I tried, at long last, the famed Salted Caramel. I enjoyed it but it wasn't the best pop I've had there, and I wouldn't get it again. ST branched out, with the experience of the cooks confab making him realize it's fun to experiment with flavors instead of always getting the same thing. He got "Strawberry Lemonade" instead of just strawberry. Then we were still hot and still hungry. So I got a blood orange, which we had enjoyed in mini size at the CC party - but which I found too tart to eat in a whole portion. He got another Strawberry Lemonade. I'm still considering the Mango Chili and the Avocado Lime for next visit.

Good eatin' today with ST!

San Diego: A Pizza Town! (Carmine's in Oceanside)

Todder yumminess!

SuperToddler earned himself a ride on the Coaster today by going diaper free for 5 whole days. You go, kid! Since there was to be 3 hours between the northbound and southbound rides, and you can only play at the pier for so long, I scouted out the grub near the train station in advance. Was hoping for something halfway decent.

Carmine's: what an awesome surprise! San Diego is really turning into a pizza town. (yes, Oceanside is not really SD, but let's not be technical - good pizza is busting out all over the county).

We went a good 10 yrs in Ca. with no good pizza (at least not good NY pizza). Now we have:

--Sicilian Thing (North Park)
--Bongiorno's Miramar
--Bongiorno's Solana Beach
(Bronx: we don't go there but I know it's fine)

And....Carmine's in Oceanside. The crust is not quite in the same league, but my veggie pizza (white, sundried tomatoes, peppers) was absolutely delish, and the cheese slice was very respectable (CH was less enthused about the slice than me, but agreed that the cheese and sauce were just right - he just thought there wasn't enough sauce and the crust kept it out of the league of the others I mentioned).

But it was super-yummy, cute (brick walls)....and if you're so inclined, they also have a great beer and wine selection (since North County really is the craft beer capital of the country). Carmine, the owner, is the real thing...he's from Cleveland (Cleveland? I guess there are Italians there too) but he says ricotta properly and makes good pizza.

Definitely worth a visit, esp. if you are having a pier or Coaster outing!

Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria (Encinitas), Visit 2: Strictly for the Hard Core!

(date night, toddler-free review! nothing new to report on the toddler front....)

Because I liked Wade Hagemann at Blanca so much, and because CH's colleagues keep telling us how yummy Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizza is, we decided to give it another try - even though last time the food was just ok.

This time: super-crowded at 5:45 (isn't everyone still eating Thanksgiving leftovers??), got heated patio seating on a freezing night....Not a super-auspicious start.

Salad: ok.
Bread, squash soup: good not great.

Still don't like Hagemann's red sauce: last time I thought it was sucky, and this time I tasted CH's: still yukky, too sweet and too much oregano.

And though CH liked his homemade pickles, I thought they were too sweet. They did nothing for me.

I FOUND THE HOLY GRAIL, THOUGH! Once you figure out what to order at this place, it is awesome - strictly for the hard-core foodie!

Signature white pizza: ricotta, housemade mozzarella, lemon zest - I don't even like lemon really and this was AWESOME.

Dessert: everyone talks about their butterscotch pudding. I don't even like butterscotch! But we decided, what the hell, we'll taste it. OH MY GOD - AWESOME. It has this amazing salt - it just left a warm, happy happy feeling in my mouth for the next hour. (Thanks, Mr. Manvite!).

LOVED IT, we'll be back.

Just be careful ordering, and if you don't order right the first time, try again!

(oh, and it's a good thing I threw on something other than mom clothes, because somehow all of CH's company was there - first one of his employees and then his boss!)

Blue Ribbon Artisan Pizzeria (Encinitas)

Faithful readers, you know I have been dying to go here since I caught wind it would open back last spring (thank you foodbuzzsd.com). Loved the meal I had with Wade Hagemann at Blanca...then he "unceremoniously left" there, now he was resurfacing in a reasonable artisan pizzeria. Early reviews have been a little mixed: glorious reviews on yelp, followed by, 'That must be a relative.'

PLUSSES: Lunchtime it was actually ST-friendly. We sat on the patio with crayons, watched cars, listened for the Coaster horn. Corn soup was crazy yummy (CH thought so too). Certainly good ingredients on my caprese bruschetta.

MINUSSES: The pizza really was not "all that." I loved the crust, but the spicing and tomato sauce on the Blue Ribbon Pizza (mozz/tomato/basil) was certainly not the best ever. Plus this is certainly not the cheapest place ever. $14 for a tiny pizza. $9 for a corn soup. The lunch special is decent (cup of corn soup + bruschetta, $9) but I was hungry after.

RESULT: I am certainly willing to go in the evening and give it another try when we have a free date night. The ingredients were very good, and I'm hoping there is another pizza on the list that will be an awesome combo of ingredients. We would both love to have that corn soup again. But I'm not going to tell anyone that they must go yet, esp. since it's rather pricey for what it is.

(Mr. Manvite, sorry we did not get to try the butterscotch pudding this time! :))

Regents Pizzeria Revisit (UTC)

Just a note to say that we revisited Regents Pizzeria today (thanks to NYUGirl for the rec. that keeps on giving). It still does not belong in the SD Pizza Pantheon with Bongiorno's MM and Sicilian Thing. But it's mighty mighty tasty, and certainly covnenient! Today I tried the Chicago pizza there for the first time. I'm not a Chicago expert like with NY pizza, but my "Popeye" (spinach, tomato ragout, artichoke and very good mozzarella) was super-delicious. The crust, which I didn't intend to eat all up, was buttery and delectable. Definitely not a run-of-the-mill place.

So Regents may enter the regular rotation, esp. since they're open on Sun. lunch, and super fast.

Also, Boy announced that their pizza was "yummy in my tummy" and when we left announced that the it "did not smell like poop in there." (Oh well, I guess East Vllg Asian Diner won't be in our regular rotation).

Sicilian Thing (North Park) - and What a Thing it is!

Trying to work on my backlog, time to write about Sicilian Thing in North Park.

Have mentioned it before: BEST PIZZA IN SD ALONG WITH BONGIORNO'S. Honestly, I can't pick a winner, because they both are super-authentic and delicious, just different recipes. Paul, the owner-pizzamaker, who is from Philly, is awesome. He opened the place so he could make Sicilian pies (do I need to explain that they're square?), but he also does round pies too. Awesome Sicilian, so many choices (I like corner cheese, of course, but also love his fresh mushroom). But the round pies are nothing to sneer at, and definitely rival Mike Bongiorno's pies. I like the Barack-oli ricotta (shout out to the POTUS); last summer's seasonal eggplant pie was great; and the cheese pie is yummy too. Cheap, great views of city buses out the window for Toddler, close enough to Trolley Barn park for a combo outing. Parking can sometimes be tricky but is usually fine. It's not around the corner from us, but every once in a while, we drive down for our fix!

NY Giant Pizza (RB)

Well, this place also will never beat Bongiorno's in a taste test. But in case it's helpful for someone, just wanted to say that the pizza was definitely decent. Went to a birthday party in RB, and this was a welcome change from the Domino's that is so often served at toddler parties. MuseumGirl says they are related to the NY Giant Pizza on India St., and that that place is perfectly passable too (she said good, I think, but I do have pizza standards to uphold - plus I don't think I'll choose it over Saffron or El Indio when I'm in those parts :)). The giant pizza came out to 30 slices when cut in squares.

Anyway, this wasn't a foodie treat, but a better-than-lots-of-others Toddler birthday option....

No babysitting set up for a while....we need to make some plans to hit some other places on my list. I think Kitchen 1540 is probably next in the queue to try, esp. because of Dr. T's praise for it!