Has anything like this ever happened to you? You drive down a street once a week or so and barely notice a restaurant that has been there for five years, and for good reason. Poor Bird Rock and the unfortunate business owners who have been there languishing while the road “improvements” have been going on. One of the survivors happens to be Lupi on La Jolla Boulevard, which subliminally caught my eye over a period of time, and boy, am I glad it did.
First, a few words about the owner, Raffo, who grew up in Pacific Beach and Bird Rock. His father had been in the restaurant business, owning El Chalan and El Patio Ole, so it was in Raffo’s blood, but he decided to go into hotel administration instead. After a successful career in that field, the lure of the food business was too strong, so in 2003 he purchased Lupi with his longtime friend Luigi, who runs the kitchen. Practically the first day they were open, road construction started and they gave up opening for lunch ” if and when parking is restored, they will be doing lunch. Dinner, however, has gone on from day one and somehow they have drawn a steady crowd.
Undoubtedly the customers come to sample the house-made pastas, breads and desserts, along with the typically Roman dishes, such as braised chicken livers and spaghetti or sea bass and fennel with pasta seasoned with garlic and olive oil and, of course, the phenomenal pasta fagiole, done differently (and better) than I have had elsewhere, with white beans and sans tomatoes.
Raffo swore that his gnocchi was the best in the world, and upon sampling a portion, I am inclined to agree with him. They were almost airborne as they floated in their delightful wine and tomato basil sauce. I was tempted to try their special of braised rabbit over polenta but chose the turkey osso bucco, done in a luscious vegetable red wine reduction sauce.
It was a great alternative to the veal (which I love and usually order) variety, but this version is definitely worth a try.
I even caved into ordering a little salad di Lupi when he said that their EEVO comes from Cetto Winery in Ensenada instead of the more traditional areas. It was excellent, combined with a lemon dressing, sprinkled over arugula and endive. Speaking of the winery, Raffo seeks out obscure, reasonable ones like the one he chose for me ” a Falanghina Campania from the Naples region. I had asked for a dry white and that one was perfect.
One of their signature dishes is scampi Luigi, described as prawns sautéed in an egg wash and served with wild mushrooms and a champagne-based sauce. The sauce was creamy, light and delicious, and definitely a winner. Not wanting to order another dish, I asked for and received a sample of their marinara sauce and was impressed by the texture ” the tomatoes are not strained as most sauces are ” and the wonderfully spiced version they do here.
Recently they have begun aging their own meats, reducing the cost of ordering them already aged, so that they can offer a 12-ounce filet mignon for $29.95, for example. Also, they have three pizzas on the menu and, of course, a happy hour, when items like meatballs or stuffed zucchini are available for $4.95 and wines by Citra for the same price.
Give your taste buds a treat and come on down to Lupi at 5518 La Jolla Blvd., or call (858) 454-6421. You’ll be glad you did.
