Some people dream of returning to Sorrento, as Pavarotti so passionately sings, but my favorite pleasure is going back periodically to favorite restaurants to taste whether they are really as good as I remember them. Trattoria Acqua was one of the first I reviewed when I began writing for the Village News, and just about that time their name began appearing on “Best Of” lists, “Top Spots” in San Diego, all by various magazines and designations as “Best New” and “Best Italian” by assorted polls and restaurant associations. The list of accolades they have received goes on endlessly, Gourmet magazine and USA Today among them, and 2006 has found them listed for the 10th year in a row by California Restaurant Association, Wine Spectator and Zagat Guide in the top echelon.
To start off my most anticipated foray into Damaso Lee’s creations, I selected a cup of his Kabocha squash soup, and all I can say is that if it is on the menu, order it. Creamy and subtly spiced, it was an auspicious start to a memorable meal.
Then I had to decide whether to go the pasta route, the land way or the sea voyage. Fortunately I had company that evening, so I was able to select my own and sample from theirs as well.
My choice was osso bucco al Pugliese, and it was a monster. Done with tomatoes, olives and capers, it was a masterpiece. But the best part was the luscious marrow, and I left no crevice unexplored to wallow in every morsel. I remember the days when I cooked soup from scratch, using marrow bones for the base and licking them clean when it was done. My dog had the benefit of the bare bones.
My friends chose other options (more to give me a variety of samples to taste than because they really wanted them), so I tried a lick of the lamb chops, arranged rack style and coated with herbed breadcrumbs, accompanied by roasted potatoes and garlic spinach. Yum!
Their other selection was the sea bass, which along with the other fish on the menu comes directly from the Mediterranean and has a bit more of the pure fish flavor than other imports. Mediterranean fish has been on the menu for almost a year, and Damaso explained that the difference has to do with the water temperature. My friend who ordered it said she had only one complaint: “The Mediterranean sea bass was so good it may have spoiled Chilean sea bass for me for life!”
I still had room for one more sampling, so I chose the cappa Santa alla Damaso, because anything with his name on it has got to be special. I was right. The jumbo sea scallops and shrimp were bathed in a spicy lobster sauce, reminiscent of the fra diavola roasted tomato sauce that is featured on the menu with Maine lobster tail, shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari. Of course, all the pastas are made in-house, and maybe next time I’ll try the latter.
There are so many wonderful selections on the menu that you could eat at Trattoria Acqua every day for a month and never repeat a dish. Many of them are worth repeating, and my taste buds are clamoring to do so.
Trattoria Acqua is located at 1298 Prospect St., with underground parking available. Call (858) 454-0709 for reservations or party planning or whatever.
Remember, as the anonymous quotation on the menu says, “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘Woo hoo! What a ride!'” Amen to that!