Thanks. We’ll stop by the hotel and change into some polo shirts and shoes before we go out. We’ve been with the kids to Juniper & Ivy and Buona Forchetta recently and made them get into nicer clothes.
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After my dinner last night, Grande Ole BBQ Y Asado will definitely be added to my rotation when I’m down in SD (which is about a couple of times or so a month).
That brisket! 
Also, next time I’ll get there right when they open because we got there only an hour after they started serving dinner and they were already out of most of the meats.
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They are opening a much bigger location soon—check recent Eater San Diego.
@js76wisco shorts/casual wear are probably fine at most of the places you listed except Born and Raised especially if you are going early. If going at normal dinner time, like DD said may be more comfortable in a bit nicer clothes but I doubt it’s necessary if very inconvenient.
That’s great! Place looks amazing. Thank you!
I’ve only been to Born & Raised in shorts.
Okay, Born and Raised exception retracted. Thanks ipsedixit.
For something a bit different than what’s on your list, consider Muzita. Very good Eritrean/Ethiopian food and hospitality. Stick to the apps (like the Bamya or Kilwa) and any of the lamb entrees.
Good call
This place has certainly come of it’s own in Bird Rock, an otherwise wasteland of good places to eat. The only places with any serious foot traffic are Wayfarer and Bird Rock Coffee, with Starbucks leading the second tier… sad. I think Wayfarer has demonstrated that if you build it, they will come. Hopefully others will notice #dintaifung. Obviously there’s money here. Wayfarer charges $5 for a smallish croissant. But it’s totally worth it.
There is often a line when Wayfarer opens, and it gets longer as time goes on. But the wait is worth it.
Here we have savory and sweet: Mushroom tart, alongside a killer almond croissant.
A previous comment that they overcook the pastries might be demonstrated here. However the caramelization that occurs serves to give the treasures a certain outside crispness and bitterness that perfectly counteracts the soft buttery interior. YUM.
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Made it to the newish little Italy food hall. Tried Mein st., Ambrogio15 and not not tacos. Didn’t try roast or lobster roll place cause they’re at LPM. Mein st. Was not very good, and I like Zen (operated by same folks). Wife liked her tacos but were expensive (I didn’t try them). My pizzas were underwhelming but I liked the cracker crust. The piazza was buzzing with people and was a very nice place to spend some time. I’d suggest grabbing papelecco or salt and straw and heading to the piazza to people watch. I’d go back but the food was forgettable.
Went to Bencotto on Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. Little Italy in general was packed everywhere you went. The line at Salt & Straw wrapped around the corner past the Wells Fargo ATM from 6pm until after our dinner ended at 7:30pm. The line across the street at Mona Lisa was easily 25-30 deep.
Anyway Bencotto was a mixed bag. Had a nice Banfi super Tuscan for $60. My kids loved the aged parmesan sampler, proscuitto de parma and buratta salad. The best dish of the night for adults was the squid ink pasta with lobster and shrimp in a vodka like sauce. Excellent al denta pasta and perfect sauce. The biggest misses of the night were the fried zuchinni blossoms and the chicken parm. The blossoms were a little oily and the cheese filling completely overpowered the dish. The chicken parm was ok but the sauce had way too much oregano. Like an unholy amount. Not sure why they would add so much oregano. It was a completely different sauce than the marinara. My daughter had fettucine with marinara. If they used this sauce instead it would have completely changed the dish.
My soon to be 6 year old picked this place over Yakudori.
Although they are both operated by the same folks, I’ve had better meals at Monello than Bencotto. We were in LI on Sunday night too. Salt and Straw line was crazy so went to Pappalecco. Stopped by Extraordinary Desserts too but that line was also crazy. @js76wisco
That’s odd. When I was at Bencotto last, I ordered the chicken parm and they asked which sauce I wanted (got the marinara) and had penne instead of the potatoes.
They did not ask us which sauce and it came with mashed potatoes which I thought was very odd. We would have gladly taken the marinara and penne. Would have saved us from ordering another pasta.
Were you following us? We did the same exact thing. But decided to just go back to the hotel and have a beer instead for dessert.
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I did ask to sub the penne, I think it was $5 upcharge which was fine.
That’s where Bencotto really shines. Pasta. Everything else is meh.
You didn’t miss anything.
That place reminds me of a mall food court.
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One spot that will not be on my rotation is Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. Boring story on how we ended up there, but the salad was pathetic and the pizza even worse. I ate one slice and left the rest.
No offense to anyone who likes the place, but it reminded me of Little Toni’s in NoHo. Shit ingredients and cheap prices.
This is like the San Diego Italian version of LA’s The Original Pantry Cafe.
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Perfect description! I don’t understand what people see in either of those places.