Piatti's Lemon Ravioli/Courtesy Photo
In many ways, Piatti --- nestled away from tourists in the small, quaint community of La Jolla Shores --- is the perfect Italian restaurant. With its unprentious service, flavorful rustic cuisine, tranquil setting and moderate prices, Piatti provides the welcoming atmosphere of a neighborhood trattoria.
Though there are eight other Piatti locations in California as well as ones in Seattle, Denver and San Antonio, each chef is encouraged to personalize his or her own menu to suit the needs and desires of their communities. In fact, they call Piatti a collection of restaurants, rather than a chain and I must agree.
Here in La Jolla, executive chef Pepe Ccapatinta has assembled a collection of lunch and dinner entrees that are fresh, light and totally scrumptious. For lunch, there are six different appetizers or antipasti including the cozze al forno (steamed mussels with oregano, garlic butter, pinot grigio, leeks and grilled bread), animelle (fresh veal sweetbreads sautéed with mushrooms, garlic and wine) as well as the more traditional choices of bruschetta, calamari, and a seasonal soup of the day.
I love the salads and thin crust pizza made with high protein flour and stretched ultra-thin to produce a puffy, lightly blistered edge.
For salads, I particularly like the endive and arugula salad with marinated beets, lemon vinaigrette and grana padana or the Estiva which uses butter lettuce and romaine combined with grape tomatoes, sugar snap peas, toasted walnuts, goat cheese and Italian vinaigrette.
Like the lunch menu, dinner features just three entrees: the oven roasted lemon herb chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, spinach and roasting juices, a grilled rib-eye steak or a lemon marinated chicken breast grilled with sugar snap peas and tomatoes. Desserts are lovely too. Try the white chocolate gelato with whipped cream or the warm apple tortino with vanilla gelato.
Every town should have a place like this. Lucky we do.
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