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Great News! Goes Out..... Davanti Enoteca
The Great News! Goes Out article will feature Erika (General Manager), Kristin (Cooking School Director), and Kelsey (Cooking School Assistant Manager) as we sample various dishes around San Diego. Please feel free to email us at customerservice@great-news.com to recommend any restaurants you would like to see featured.
Davanti Enoteca is the latest addition to Little Italy and owned by Scott Harris the restaurateur and owner of Davanti Enoteca, Francesca's and The Purple Pig (just to name a few) all located in Chicago. Davanti Enoteco in Little Italy offers a Northern Italian menu with an extensive wine list. The rustic ambiance is created by their large outdoor patio transporting you to Italy. They offer a tapas style Happy Hour menu daily from 4-6pm, great for sharing with friends. We were told that most of the cheeses are directly imported from Italy so we knew we were in for a treat!
We started the meal with the Pizza con Salsiccia e Rapini made with Italian sausage, broccoli rabe, fresh mozzarella, and tomato. The broccoli rabe had a nutty, slightly bitter flavor. You can taste the fresh tomatoes used to make the sauce bringing all the ingredients together. The presentation was fun and family style. The pizza came out on a large tomato can with spices and herbs to add your own flavors.
 
Next we ordered the Cacio e Pep. We saw Giada on the Food Network make this dish and we had never seen it on a menu before so this was a must have. This dish consists of a few main high quality ingredients; spaghetti, pecorino, black pepper, and olive oil. The pasta was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. It was a nice reminder that great food does not have to be overly complicated.
One of our favorite cheeses is Burrata which is why we ordered the Roasted Cherry Tomato, Burrata, and Basil Pesto for our next dish. Burrata cheese is made from mozzarella and cream giving it a soft texture. The fresh flavor and textures allows this dish to be the perfect pair with fresh tomatoes. The basil pesto was an added bonus to this already unbeatable duo. The tomatoes were left on their vine giving this dish a beautiful presentation.
 
Uovo in Ravivolo 'San Domenico' (giant ravioli, ricotta, egg, and spinach) was the next dish we shared. Just what the descriptions says, one giant ravioli. The egg was slightly runny in the middle which mixed well with the parmesan cheese and brown butter. Believe it or not, that was all you needed because it was very rich and decadent.
We will always try to have something for all of our veggie foodies so we had the Roasted Squash Farro with Whipped Goat Cheese, Hazelnuts and Watercress. We were pleasantly surprised at how amazing these flavors and textures went together. A must try for all, vegetarian or not.
 
Last we had the Focaccia di Recco which can easily be a dessert. This is a lingurian style baked focaccia stuffed with fresh soft cow cheeses. You can add honeycomb for additional fee which we highly recommend to top off this decadent treat. It is not a thick or fluffy focaccia as it is not made with yeast and it hides an unforgettable secret inside. Absolutely divine!
Scott Harris will be opening Davanti Enoteca at another location in Del Mar in August. He is a restaurateur to keep your eye on in 2012. We can't wait to go back.
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