Panini Café is carving out a concept: fresh Mediterranean food, large portions and decent prices. It’s a chain for an upscale, educated eater, and the owners hope to take the concept far.
Panini opened at 811 Prospect St. in June. Owner Ali Kazemi appeared casual in jeans and a polo shirt, but he spoke with intention about the restaurant’s aims to provide consistently gourmet kabobs, panini (Italian sandwiches) and Babaganooj for the locals. Prices will be kept low and portions large.
“I used to visit La Jolla every summer and I never found any of the restaurants down here consistent,” Kazemi said. “On one trip the restaurant would be fantastic, on another trip it would be just so-so and another time it would be horrible.”
Plus the prices were bloated for tourism, he added.
The hiss of an Italian espresso maker, the murmur of five flat-screen TVs and the copper hue of the granite countertops are a marked contrast to the plastic booths and syrup-drenched pancakes of the IHOP that occupied the site before.
“We basically took IHOP and demolished it and basically just kept the four walls “¦ The kitchen is brand new,” Kazemi said. “All the equipment is new ” everything.”
Kazemi asked a waiter to bring the appetizer combination, a massive plate of hummus, Babaganooj (roasted eggplant), Dolmada (grape leaves stuffed with sirloin), Tatziki (cucumber and yogurt salad) and feta cheese and olives. He pointed my attention to the Dolmada.
“We hand-roll those,” he said.
He opened the menu and indicated the Turkey Panini Melt and Lamb Shish Kabob: none of that meat is processed or frozen, he said. The café carves all the meats in-house, and the chefs prepare all the sauces.
“We don’t use organic, but everything that we use is fresh “¦ Nothing is frozen where you’re going to find high sodium levels in your meat or fish,” he said.
The entrepreneurs, who were born in Iran and Turkey, decided to fuse Italian panini with Middle Eastern kabobs and Greek appetizers to create a Mediterranean menu. While olive oils and garlic flavor the dishes, the number of choices is distinctly American. The variety accommodates the entire family, Kazemi said.
The menu lists nine salads, 22 grilled panini and nine entrees. Breakfast includes eight choices of scrambled and poached eggs or seven different styles of omelettes. A plethora of cheeses dot the menu. Goat cheese or feta cheese dress the salads; melted brie covers the salmon panini,;Fontina cheese, Provolone and smoked mozzarella stack chicken, roast beef and turkey panini.
Kazemi believes in his concept and he plans to replicate the vision across town. With his two Orange County business partners, he plans to open one Panini Café each year for the next five years in San Diego. University City, Pacific Beach and the Gaslamp District are all being considered for new sites. A restaurant is already under construction in Beverly Hills. The first Panini Café opened in Corona del Mar about nine years ago. Kazemi chose La Jolla for the second location because locals demand fresh, hand-prepared food.
“We feel that in San Diego, especially in La Jolla, people know about quality,” Kazemi said.
Panini Café offers catering and take-out. For more information call (858) 456-4044 or visit www.mypaninicafe.com.