i am beginning to think that the buon appetito group is taking over india street in downtown san diego's little italy. luckily each one of their ventures has been wildly successful, and for good reason. i fell in love with buon appetito in 2004 when i moved down the street. it became my go-to place for every visitor, and no fail, when people return they want to go back. they then opened sogno di vino next door, with it's couches and relaxed atmosphere, it makes this wine bar feel very inviting (they also have amazing paninis). and then came the market next door. it made it easy to swoop in and grab a vat of their homemade sauce, a bottle of handpicked wine, some vegetables, or those hard to find italian ingredients. and so, this week i happened to be walking around with a girlfriend looking for a nice place to enjoy lunch outside and we came across la villa, the newest venture for the group. headed by executive chef, chris o'donnell (formally from MARKET in del mar), la villa is coining themselves as a "contemporary farm to table italian restaurant." the interiors are more sleek than their other places, but there are still rustic touches. with an enormous patio and a bar that opens up both to the interior and exterior, i can see this place holding on to the after dinner crowd as well. the afternoon was gorgeous so we took our time grazing. i had a brightly colored and delicious beet salad (with olives, random but so good), and shared a burrata pizza (which was light and bursting with flavor). the wine by the glass selection was limited, but i assume that in time this will expand. i had a glass of pinot grigio, but wasn't overly impressed. but, i am definitely looking forward to coming back to try out dinner!
No comments:
Post a Comment