By Frank Sabatini Jr.
From front to back, a succession of deli cases stocked with dazzling desserts and savories forms the spine of Pan Bon, a colossal market and restaurant launched last year by longtime baker Giancarlo Anselmi of Verona, Italy. Step only two feet inside for a glimpse and your chances of exiting without a purchase are practically zero.
The newly built structure, located at the south end of Kettner Street in Little Italy, shows off a long, narrow hall with towering ceilings and a second level high above that has yet to be utilized. Opposite the deli counters and open kitchens are seating areas stretching along a wall marked by geometrically arranged wood tiles, which add artistic warmth to the steely Euro-chic design.
Where to sit in this vast emporium of Italian delights depends on how and what you decide to eat.
The first half of Pan Bon operates like a café, where you settle in after paying for things like Gorgonzola strudel, eggplant Parmigiana, sumptuous pizzas sold by the slice, and meat or veggie sandwiches layered between assorted breads that are made onsite every morning.
Oddly, desserts are displayed at the head of the trail, sucking you in visually with their colorful, linear arrangements of mignons (mini pastries) as well as full-sized croissants and sliced brioche stuffed with fruits, custard and chocolate.
Further down is a meat and cheese counter where imported prosciutto di Parma resides alongside house-roasted beef and turkey, plus luscious curds that include fresh mozzarella.
Though next to the build-your-own salad station boasting numerous lettuces and fixings is the crux of Pan Bon — ciabatta, focaccia, baguette and rolls you’ve never heard of — all winking at you from wicker baskets behind another counter.
A baker since the age of 15 and proprietor of the original Pan Bon in Verona, Anselmi relies on a centuries-old baking method called “lievito madre.” It involves carefully maintaining the yeast fermentation and using super-fine “00” flour. Touches of honey are added into the mixtures, resulting in flavorful breads and pizza crusts that are airier and less glutinous than most and that leave you with far less stomach bloat.
The back half of Pan Bon is a full-service dining area offering printed menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, although there is no signage indicating that. The space is delineated only by overhead string lights and larger tables.
Operations manager Mitzy Stefanovic said an effort is being made to verbally inform customers about the restaurant component as they walk in. It was only in my most recent visit that I learned of it.
With a friend joining me for lunch, we chose items from the deli counters and the menu. We opted for a slice of cheese pizza, plus a couple of “pizzettes” topped separately with salami and mushrooms. With smears of bright-tasting red sauce on each, their helium-light crusts won us over. This was my third time eating pizza here and they’ve been consistently terrific no matter how simple the toppings.
It was also love at first bite when trying a wedge of ciabatta stuffed with mozzarella and ham, an item that upheld its bakery-fresh essence when heated to order. We dipped the bread ends into a bowl of pepperonata, a mélange of softly braised multi-colored bell peppers that tasted to me like homey Italian kitchens smell.
A slice of quiche, also from the deli, had mushrooms, zucchini and onions tumbling out when forking into it — not as structured or cream-laden as French quiche but pleasing nonetheless. Equally clean was a side of farro salad with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and chopped celery. With barely a hint of dressing, if any at all, we found it wonderfully rustic and wholesome.
The standout dishes were from the lunch menu — a non-American version of eggplant Parmigiana and a meat-cheese board that rivals any I’ve had at upscale wine bars.
Only when soaked in salt does eggplant become this tender and non-watery. Sliced thin and without breading, it wasn’t swimming in sauce either, thus allowing the flavors of three different cheeses layered within to emerge.
The board contained pretty pilings of melt-in-your-mouth Parma prosciutto sliced paper-thin and flecked with fresh horseradish; shaved speck; jumbo slices of mortadella; olives; sun-dried tomatoes; and assorted cheeses ranging from soft and buttery to hard and sharp. The proteins were generously portioned, enough to carry two people through a bottle of pinot grigio or Lambrusco from the mostly Italian wine list.
We concluded with a lineup of mini desserts that included pastry cream with berries, a chocolate cup filled with mint mousse, and super-moist tiramisu.
The ordering process at Pan Bon is still a little confusing, but one that offers culinary discoveries along the way by an owner and staff that will charm you with their heavy Italian accents and solid cooking.
And they’ve begun catering kindly to pizza lovers as well with a tableside all-you-can-eat deal for $15 per person, from 5 p.m. to close on Wednesdays.
Count me in until my waist notches up a size.
—Frank Sabatini Jr. is the author of “Secret San Diego” (ECW Press), and began his local writing career more than two decades ago as a staffer for the former San Diego Tribune. You can reach him at [email protected].
