Monthly Archives: February 2012

I don’t normally worry about disappointing my waiter.  Our final dinner in San Diego, it was clear I might have done just that and my gushing over my dinner was not going to sway him.

Arrivederci Ristorante is a neighborhood restaurant, which is always the best kind.  We stumbled upon it after aborting another dinner plan on the way to the airport.  It was charming and the staff was friendly and very good at their craft.

The wine was excellent and the food was impressive.

It was clearly a local hangout and quite busy on an early Sunday afternoon.  We had two hours before our flight and I was not all that hungry, even though the menu held many temptations.  My original order was for what looked like an excellent soup.  It must have been, because they were sold out.

I then went with my standby.  I’m from a very traditional Italian family.  Good sauce on good pasta with a great bread is really all you need.  Meatballs or sausage are an option, not a necessity. (I look at pizzas much the same way – if your crust and sauce are not excellent it doesn’t matter how much stuff you throw on top, you’ll never overcome that deficit.)

You’d be surprised how badly most restaurants do this simple dish, treating it almost as a throw away.  They put all their effort into fancy pastas, cream sauces and sun-dried tomatoes topped with fancy cheeses and multiple additions.  Often they are good, very good, but I really judge an Italian restaurant on the basics.  A great sauce is a requirement.  I’m quite often disappointed.

Arrivederci looked promising.  The dipping sauce they served with the most excellent bread was fresh, tangy with just the right amount of spice. It was kissed with fresh basil, so it didn’t overpower the delicate tomato flavor. They took it seriously.

So when the soup was unavailable, I knew exactly what I wanted. A simple pasta, sauce and meatballs.  I was not disappointed.  The sauce was fresh, well spiced, light and served on top shelf linguine that was perfectly al dente.  The meatballs, which are quite often done poorly, were perfect.  Moist, filled with flavor, not filler, a good complement to the sauce.

So how did I come to disappoint my waiter? I was only able to eat about a quarter of my plate (as you can see from the picture above, I could have served 4 with it) and since we were about to board a plane I  couldn’t take leftovers with me.  I assumed TSA would frown on a doggy bag.  No matter how he tried to convince me, I could neither clean my plate nor take leftovers with me – though I would have really liked to have them at lunch today at work. No matter how much I raved about my meal, I don’t think I convinced him how wonderful I found it. The face he made when he walked away was priceless. It was sweet.  I’d go there again in a heartbeat.

They also have a pizzeria down the street which I can only assume is some of the best pizza anywhere.

My friend had one of their gnocchi plates, which was equally delicious – and the gnocchi was light as a feather and the sauce was delicate, not overpowering as some cream sauces can be.  We finished the meal with a really good coffee.  Dark, rich with a chocolate finish (we’re coffee fanatics and love a good brew). From staff to atmosphere to food and drinks, there was nothing to disappoint here.