PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

La Jolla's version of the reliable neighborhood hangout is this pasta-centric trattoria, a couple blocks inland from La Jolla Shores. You're likely to be surrounded by a crew of regulars that pop in weekly and know the staff by name. You won't feel left out, however, and the food is well priced. The lemon herb-roasted chicken and bistecca (rib-eye) are fantastic, but it's the pastas that parade out to most tables. Try orecchiette bathed in gorgonzola, grilled chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes, or pappardelle "fantasia"--shrimp-crowned ribbons of saffron pasta, primed with garlic, tomato, and white wine. Those who are concerned with carbo-loading can substitute spinach for pasta. Beneath the romantic sprawl of an enormous ficus tree, the outdoor patio is always ideal, thanks to the cozy heaters.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's San Diego 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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