La Jolla locals know this is the place to come for carne asada, rolled tacos and 2am bean burritos.

The bread is baked fresh and the sandwiches are all great. It can be the kind of sandwich that hurts the roof of your mouth because the bread is so crusty and fresh - i'd actually like to run the sandwich over with my car - flatten it and then eat it. totally weird, i know. anyway - everything here is good - the wine, the italian imported dishware, the pasta - lots of hard to find italian specialty ingredients.

Considering you cannot buy decent fresh fish from even our best supermarkets (okay, sometimes from bristol farms but not from gelsons or whole foods), this is the only place I buy from!

The food is really great and authentic but personally I really like how it's below street level. Dunno why - makes me feel like I'm in nyc or something. Perfect bolognese. Dreamy scampi. Good people watching. And a lovely wine list.

Sit outside when the weather is nice. If you're there to celebrate or be indulgent, be sure to order the caviar appetizer. The tortilla soup is always a classic. And they make a mean cocktail.