I know I'm a little late on my restaurant of the month for August, but the past two months have been a very busy time for me. I've spent multiple weeks in different parts of California, I moved back to Pennsylvania, and I had a chance to spend an entire week with my family and my oh-so-adorable, so cute-you-can-squeeze-them nephews, Graem and Emmett. I feel like I'm truly learning the life of a jetsetter/globetrotter! :) Always on the go and being in a new area almost every week keeps me on my toes! It drives my mom crazy... but it makes life very adventurous.
The restaurant I chose to write about for the month of August is a quaint, off-the-beaten path, little Italian restaurant in San Diego. I flew in on a Wednesday night from San Francisco and was fortunate enough to have my two great friends, Casee and Joe, able to meet up for dinner! Normally, I don't get to see Joe as he lives in New York, but I just so happened to catch the lovely couple while they were both in the same area. Joe is your typical awesome Italian from New Jersey... loves his food, speaks his mind, and knows how to treat his friends right! They decided to take me to this Italian place and I was looking forward to it!
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| Me with Joe and Casee - we interned together back in 2006 AND I set this cute couple up!!! |
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Baci Ristorante (http://sandiegobaci.com/) was a small and cozy little nook. It was a tiny place you could see off the highway. When you walk into the waiting area, there are a few pictures of the celebrities that have been there and we were greeted by the matre'd in his full on tux! They put us in a cozy little table, where Joe sat in the middle and looked like he was the luckiest guy in the world next to Casee and I. This was your true, authentic Italian place. Dim lighting, soft music, posh white cushions, and dressed-to-the-nines wait staff. The menu was simple, yet detailed in their Italian options.
We started off with a Bottle of Riesling, and I was torn between the Lemongrass Chicken and the Sausage and Peppers meal. I just love sausage and peppers - I don't think I could truly ever give up meat because I love that meal too much. We all started off with an appetizer; I chose the Baci Garden Salad - a rich blend of lettuce, raddichio, fennel, cucumber, tomato, and extra virgin olive oil. For a starter salad, it was a large salad but the ingredients were so crisp that it was the perfect way to begin a true, Italian meal.
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| Appetizer Salad |
I chose the Pollo al Limone as my main course because the simplicity of the ingredients were calling my name. It was soaked in a sauce made from lemon, fresh thyme, and rosemary. Placed next to a pile of fresh asparagus and roasted potatoes, and I'm quite happy with my choice. The chicken was so juicy and tender, cooked to perfection. The asparagus had to be organic, because they had the perfect crunch and they weren't stringy at all. (For those who eat asparagus, you know what I'm talking about.) The price was fair, considering the size of the meal and the class of the restaurant. Baci Ristorante was very upscale, but charming at the same time.
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| Pollo al Limone |
Spending time with Joe and Casee always means a lot to me. Back in the fall of 2006, we met at our internship program in Washington D.C. I met Joe first and I knew this would be a guy that I would be friends with for a very long time. Shortly after that, I met Casee on a historic walk in Georgetown and we instantly became friends. A couple weeks later, Joe invites me to a house party and I asked him if I could invite a few of my friends. I knew Joe and Case would hit it off, so I extended the invitation to Casee and when she walked into Joe's apartment, he was instantly smitten by this 5'2 sweetheart of a gal! Ok, back to the food!
Every portion of my meal was amazing, so I had to partake in the dessert options at this little gem of a place. They had a few options that sounded so delicious, but per my usual, I went with the Creme Brulee. Unlike most restaurants, the dessert portions were more than enough for 2 people. Normally, you get a small sized dessert, but not at Baci Ristorante. As with any true Italian, they make their meals plentiful and their drinks strong. Casee and I split the creme brulee and Joe went with the classic Tiramisu. Oddly enough, I'm not a fan of Tiramisu. Most Italians think I'm crazy that I don't, but it just doesn't hit my taste buds the right way. Now, Creme Brulee....yum - I could eat that everyday.
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| My delicious Creme Brulee! |
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| Joe's Tiramisu |
All in all, this was a great way to welcome me into San Diego while there for my business travels. San Diego is a gorgeous city, there is nothing about that area I don't like. It's laid back, clean, proper, beautiful, and the food on the West Coast is far above the type of food back east. I appreciate that my friends make time for me, despite my globetrotting ways. And, I love always finding a secret little restaurant with great food and a great ambiance where I can eat and socialize with my great friends.
