![]() “We really thought we were done,” says Logsdon, “and we were.” With no option for outdoor seating, and amidst ever-changing regulations, owner Tom Logsdon made the difficult decision at the time to end the bar’s run in Bankers Hill. But for a quick bite to eat and the assurance that the food will not disappoint, a humdrum setting may be of little consequence.One of the many sad shutters that has occurred over the course of the pandemic was the closure of the Balboa in July 2020. It feels lonely and fairly empty at night, although I'm told lunchtime is more hopping. You place your order at the front, which is fine, but the place feels a bit cold and sterile, with standard-issue tables and chairs, a few booths and a stained concrete floor. Sandwiches are also available, and I found the smoked turkey panini, served on homemade focaccia with basil aioli, to be first-rate and also quite filling.Ĭlearly, the attention to detail when it comes to the food is apparent, but I could find little to like about the decor, which doesn't lend itself to an inviting dine-in restaurant. The barbecue sauce is slightly sweet, but not too overpowering, and juicy, thinly sliced roma tomatoes, onions and roasted peppers nicely complement the chicken and the pizza's cheesy base. While it's not out of the ordinary, the barbecued chicken pizza is well executed and worth ordering. My meat-loving husband swooned over the molte carne pizza, a smoky, zesty amalgam of pepperoni, Italian sausage and prosciutto, embellished with mushrooms, tomatoes and black olives. It didn't have quite enough heft, though, to support the quattro formaggi pizza, with its molten combo of mozzarella, chèvre, gorgonzola and fontina. The thin crust is both light and tender, with an almost flaky texture, and the rim is crisp and chewy. ![]() Still, there are a few that stray from the beaten path, like the Bangkok Shrimp, with spicy peanut sauce, and the al forno, with an olive oil base topped with roasted eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, onions and chèvre. There are plenty of combinations to choose from - 22 in all - with many of the offerings fairly typical of the widening selection featured at many pizzerias. Crisp romaine is bathed in a garlicky, creamy dressing that has a nice, tangy finish.īut back to the pizza, which is the real draw here. If you're a fan of Caesar salad, definitely try their version. Cubes of eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini and artichokes are nestled on a bed of greens with chèvre cheese and drizzled with an understated balsamic vinaigrette. Pair that with a healthful griglia salad - although the vegetables aren't actually grilled, they're roasted. The grilled, doughy wedges of focaccia, smeared with sweet, caramelized garlic cloves and crumbled gorgonzola, could easily become habit-forming. After one visit, I decided two people could easily make a meal out of the roasted garlic appetizer and a small salad, which felt more like a large. While pizza clearly plays a starring role at Pizzicato, what also endears me to the restaurant are the terrific salads, which are ample in size and bursting with assertive flavors. Sheffer, with his partner Kirk Reding, have owned a Pizzicato franchise in Encinitas for nearly nine years. Pizzicato co-owner Travis Sheffer says bring it on, pointing out that the more quality restaurants in the area, the more people will be drawn to the neighborhood, increasingly populated by urban professionals taking up residence in the surrounding condos. When the restaurant opened in April, the owners couldn't have known that the longtime Laurel Restaurant, just a stone's throw away, would soon be transformed into an affordable Italian eatery, complete with a new pizza oven. Part of a chain of gourmet pizza places, mostly in Oregon, Pizzicato boasts that its dough is handmade, its ingredients locally sourced (whose aren't these days?) and its cheeses and olive oil imported. Some of our favorite places are even opening second shops, so do we really need one more pizzeria?Īfter a couple of visits to the new Pizzicato in San Diego's Bankers Hill, I'm here to tell you, the answer is yes. Few among us would be likely to turn down a flavorful, well-made slice of pizza, so it's no surprise that there is a growing number of San Diego restaurants turning out top-notch thin-crust pies with gourmet toppings. Pizza also sold by the slice.ĭON'T MISS: The roasted garlic appetizer, caesar salad, molto carne and barbecued chicken pizzas. THE SCENE: Not much of one, with basic tables and chairs and front counter for ordering food. THE FOOD: Wide selection of thin-crust gourmet pizzas and generously sized salads. ![]()
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