by David Safier
I don't post much about food, but I don't have meals like this much either.
I pulled into San Diego yesterday about 3pm and parked in front of the Charisma Cucina Italiana on University and First. San Diego's University Ave has lots of restaurants with tasty stuff, but it's not my first thought when it comes to fine dining. Then I read the internet raves about this place, and I decided to give it a try.
Amazing. At least two standard deviations above any Italian I've eaten in Tucson (Sorry, Tucson restaurateurs, but facts is facts). It reminded me of meals I've had in New York and in Italy.
The restaurant is run by two people from a restaurant family (brothers, I think), originally from Naples. Their food pedigree showed. No flash, no fancy stuff, just solid, Italian food. The real deal. Old school.
My first course was calamari in a tomato sauce. None of that fried, breaded calamari here. This was small, tender-yet-chewy morsels in one of those red sauces that make you realize you rarely get a truly fine red sauce. Thin yet substantial, pulpy, not runny. Lots of basil. Just enough pepper (red, I'm guessing) to give it a kick. I don't know what else was in there. I was just glad the shallow bowl held a generous portion and had sauce left when I finished the calamari. That's why God made good, crusty Italian bread — to sop up the rest of the sauce.
My pasta was linguini with clams, a demonstration of how wonderful a simple presentation can be if it's done just right. Linguini, just al dente, in the center of the plate with the simplest oil and I'm-not-quite-sure-what-else coating it perfectly, along with a generous helping of clams circling the outside of the plate. One of the brothers told me he would give me cheese to top the pasta if I wanted, but he didn't recommend it. He was right, of course. No cheese on this pasta.
Joan had a scallopini with wild mushrooms in marsala sauce. None of that thick, goopy sauce that drowns out the other flavors, just a perfect complement to the meat and mushrooms. There were vegetables on the side, including quartered red potatoes that managed to be browned just enough on the outside to give them solidity while they were melt-in-your-mouth on the inside.
Portions were ample, especially for lunch. Prices were reasonable — considering the quality, ridiculously reasonable.
I know, Charisma is about 6 hours outside most Tucsonans' restaurant zones, but if you happen to be down San Diego way . . .