1445 India Street
Little Italy
Enotecastyle.com
619-546-7138
A traditional enoteca is a small wine shop that offers affordable tastes of local vintages along with snacks. Lately, the word has evolved to describe Italian cuisine bistros with a wine bar. Enoteca Style, in Little Italy, fits this description, adding a stylish, comfortable European feel and a menu of panini, salads, antipasti, desserts, wine and beer.
My wife, Judy, and I decided to try Enoteca Style for lunch. Parking during the day isn’t bad, although it’s mostly metered—bring quarters. The bistro is dominated by an attractive bar, and has small tables surrounding it. It’s a tidy, L-shaped room that probably gets a little loud at night, so I’d feel safe calling this more of a date night or meet-friends-for-a-drink restaurant. There were no high chairs and no kid-oriented menu selections.
Enoteca Style calls itself “the best panini wine bar in San Diego,” which frankly smells like a challenge to me. But as an appetizer we decided on the Tomato & Basil Pesto Bruschetta ($6), which featured sea salt atop the tomatoes and an olive oil drizzle. I had the India panini ($9), prosciutto, mozzerella, tomato and pesto. The tasty sandwich was perfectly cooked, although I thought it was a little light on the cheese. The pesto (homemade according to our waiter) was excellent, without being overwhelmingly garlicky. Judy had the Cedar ($9), roast beef, carmelized onion, Gruyere cheese and truffled mushroom spread. She liked it, but thought she also detected a slight horseradish taste.
We were underwhelmed by Enoteca’s Signature Tiramisu ($7). The famous Italian custard is one of our favorite desserts, but this version was pretty clearly not homemade, was frozen, and bland. Our lunchtime service was a bit too leisurely, considering the place wasn’t all that busy.
We decided to come back for another lunch two weeks later (the panini really are that good). We shared the Moroccan Couscous salad ($9). It featured mixed greens, asparagus, feta cheese, toasted almonds, scallions and a mint and lemon vinaigrette. I’m crazy for couscous, and this salad was a hit. Light but filling, with a lot of surprising tastes.
We also tried two more panini from Enoteca’s street-themed menu: the Ash ($9), salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, pepperoncini and a garlic aioli; and the Beech ($9), grilled chicken, tomato, spinach, gouda cheese and a sweet red pepper aioli. Both sandwiches were proclaimed “excellent!” Judy noted that she didn’t think she’d like the aioli as much as she did. I also tried the Picadillo soup ($4), a savory bowl of ground chicken, vegetables, cotixa cheese and avocado—perfect for an autumn lunch. It disappeared quickly.
For dessert, we chose the Vanilla Gelato with diced strawberries and a 25-year aged basalmic ($6). Light spiciness and a perfect dolce ending. Our service on this visit was very attentive and efficient.
Enoteca Style serves wine by taste, glass and bottle, and besides a well-designed wine list they have a terrific Belgium-focused beer selection with the acclaimed Delirium Tremens on tap ($8). Check their Website for daily specials.
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Patrick Campbell is a writer and editor in North Park.