San Diego Family September 2009 : Page 100
Family Dining Pizzicato P A better marriage Steven E. Meineke, M.A., M.Div. Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist San Diego Family Magazine columnist ... a better life Marriage is meant to be a source of joy and strength that helps you deal with the stresses of life. If your marriage has become just one more stressor, then let me help you rediscover what marriage is meant to be. www.centerformarriage.com Center for Marriage 858-755-3519 Crisis Intervention • Marriage & Couples Counseling • Premarital Counseling • Family Therapy • Individual Therapy 100 San Diego Family Magazine September 2009 izzicato is a great restaurant for the current economy. Why? Scalability. If things are tight, have a gourmet slice and a drink for a light but satisfying meal under $6 including tax and tip. Feeling a bit more flush? Add a salad for two and a glass of Chianti. For a bit of a splurge, treat your extended family to a couple of gourmet pizzas or pasta and a family-sized salad for a delicious meal that still won’t break the bank. There are options besides pizza, such as four kinds of panini sandwiches and four varieties of pasta that you can customize with meatballs, Italian sausage, prosciutto, chicken and shrimp, but pizza is the main draw here. Our family dined at Pizzicato in Encinitas and took advantage of their slice-of-the-day menu. I picked Wild Mushroom pizza with shiitake, portobello and oyster mushrooms, chèvre cheese, roasted peppers and onions, fresh thyme, mozzarella and roasted garlic ($3.50) and a slice of the special of the day Giovane pizza with prosciutto, roasted red pepper, chèvre cheese, basil and olive oil ($3.50). My husband also got a slice of the Giovane as well as a slice of the Quattro Formaggi with Sausage and Mushrooms, with chèvre, fontina, Gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese, sandiegofamily.com
Family Dining
Louise Julig
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a great restaurant for the current economy. Why?
Scalability. If things are tight, have a gourmet slice and a drink for a light but satisfying meal under $6 including tax and tip. Feeling a bit more flush? Add a salad for two and a glass of Chianti. For a bit of a splurge, treat your extended family to a couple of gourmet pizzas or pasta and a family-sized salad for a delicious meal that still won’t break the bank.
There are options besides pizza, such as four kinds of panini sandwiches and four varieties of pasta that you can customize with meatballs, Italian sausage, prosciutto, chicken and shrimp, but pizza is the main draw here.
Our family dined at Pizzicato in Encinitas and took advantage of their slice-of-the-day menu. I picked Wild Mushroom pizza with shiitake, portobello and oyster mushrooms, chèvre cheese, roasted peppers and onions, fresh thyme, mozzarella and roasted garlic ($3.50) and a slice of the special of the day Giovane pizza with prosciutto, roasted red pepper, chèvre cheese, basil and olive oil ($3.50). My husband also got a slice of the Giovane as well as a slice of the Quattro Formaggi with Sausage and Mushrooms, with chèvre, fontina, Gorgonzola and mozzarella cheese,Italian sausage, mushrooms, roasted garlic cloves and olive oil ($3.50). I also ordered a small Caesar salad ($4) and my husband chose a small Arugula and Ripe Pear salad with candied walnuts, Gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette ($4.75). And just because I couldn’t resist, I ordered a Caprese Pizzicato appetizer of fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar ($7.25) for our table. Two glasses of chianti ($5.25) rounded out our dinner.
The kids’ menu options are a slice of one of four varieties of pizza or a kids’ pasta with butter, Marinara or Alfredo sauce. All kids’ menu items are $3.50 and come with a fountain drink and a dessert. Our daughter opted for a slice of sausage pizza and a chocolate chip cookie.
Then the food started coming. Let’s just say that the portions at Pizzicato are generous. The tempting slice choices make it hard to pick just one, but we would have been fine with one slice of pizza each and a medium salad to split between the three of us. As it was we took half our pizza home.
The salads were flavorful and fresh, and the Caesar dressing had a distinct yet not overpowering garlic kick. The pizza had tasty blends of toppings and a crust that’s neither too thin nor too doughy.
The only thing I was disappointed in was the Caprese salad, which was surprisingly bland.
The atmosphere is bistro casual with seating indoors or outside on the heated patio. El Camino Real isn’t quite the same as the Via Veneto, but for the price, I’ll take Pizzicato.
Pizzicato 252-5 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas.
Open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily.
Www.pizzicatopizza.com; 760-635-2800
