Asti's fine foods have
attracted the likes of
Joe Montana and
Eddie DeBartolo

San Diego has been swept away by a wave of Mediterranean fascination. Not only are Italian espresso machines fueling our fancy for frothy caffeine, but we’ve fallen head over heels for pasta and big red wines. We love fantasizing that our Pacific coastal strip is a sunny Riviera of endless vineyards, good food, clothing-optional beaches and warm nights full of romance.

    Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Gaslamp Quarter, where an Italian eatery has opened on most every corner and many points in between over the past five years. Carving out its own San Francisco-style niche is Asti at 728 Fifth Ave. Vested waiters, mostly Italian, lend a dark, upbeat charm. A painting of the medieval village of Asti covers one wall; large circular kaleidoscopic medallions are painted on the 20-foot-high ceiling.

    Co-owner Nicolas Vasquez, a former San Franciscan, is friends with Joe Montana and 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, who both stop in regularly for dinner. Chef Mino Puzzo was voted No. 2 in all of Italy by his peers, and was once personal chef to Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley.

    It is often said that you can judge a restaurant by its bread. Asti's takes the form of crusty Italian nuggets you tear in two and drench in olive oil and vinegar dispensed from an odd twin-spouted cruet.

    In between crunches, we started our meal with a portobello mushroom, tender, garlicky, and lightly breaded, a large, steak-like slab sufficient for two. Our insalata giardino was crisp and full of the subtle flavors of fresh baby field greens, tomato, and shaved parmesan, in a light balsamic dressing.

    The menu offers a full range of Italian staples: pastas and pizzas, antipastis and portobello mushrooms, plus steaks, fresh fish, and seafood, all done with Italian dolce vita.

    Gnocchi alla bara are small potato dumplings. Hot and smothered with tomato sauce and melted fontina cheese, they made a delicious, carbo-intensive main course. Carnivores will devour rigatoni rugantino, slivers of filet mignon resting on a bed of tube-shaped pasta that’s been sautéed in olive oil with green onions, mushrooms, white wine and light tomato sauce.

    Our pizza pescatore had a thin, crisp crust and was generously covered with juicy scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams and fresh fish.

    More than a dozen pasta dishes range from raviolini allí astigiana (in meat sauce with porcino mushrooms and black truffles) to capellini, linguine, rigatoni, and cavatelle Michelangelo (homemade ricotta and semolina flour dumplings stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, chicken, brandy tomato sauce, and a touch of cream).

    Elsewhere on menu are several zuppas, including minestrone and bean with pasta, and desserts ranging from immaculately presented tiramisu dusted with powdered sugar and surrounded by dollops of raspberry sauce, and fresh berries in cold zabaglione, a frothy sauce made from cream and egg whites.

    Asti's wine list includes a full array of Italians, by the bottle or glass, including more than 20 reds. There are even a few Italian beers.

    Price-wise, Asti on par with its peers. Pizzas are $9.75 to $14.95, wines range from moderate in price to $160 a bottle, pastas are $10.95 to $19.95.

    Asti doesn’t have the most elegant, polished decor, nor does it have the most innovative Italian cuisine Downtown, but it does offer good, solid Italian fare served in a friendly cosmopolitan atmosphere that is sure to send you away smiling.

-by Dirk Sutro

Say hello to this East Coast-style
deli and you won’t go away hungry

    To those East Coast natives mourning the lack of "good deli" in California, there's good news. And everyone else will be equally happy to know that Samson's Delicatessen Restaurant and Bakery in La Jolla is not just "good," it is excellent.

    Ask the regulars who come for lunch, dinner or weekend brunch. Better still, ask Samson's most dedicated clientele who come every day, sometimes even twice a day, suggests owner Neil Libin.

    Samson's menu is a treat for those accustomed to Jewish-style dishes and a wonderful surprise for those just learning about potato pancakes and matzoh ball soup. The selection is expansive, and just about everything is homemade.

    First-time Samson's diners should take a minute to enjoy the fresh, crunchy kosher dill pickles in the mini-barrel on each table. The signature matzoh ball soup is outstanding and enough for a light meal. Also excellent is "Samson's Trio" — a blintz, potato pancake and knish. Don't let the funny names fool you. The strawberry-jam-topped blintz is a crepe filled with a creamy and sweet cheese mixture that will melt in your mouth. The potato pancake is topped with sour cream and applesauce, and the knish is a flaky pastry pouch stuffed with spiced mashed potato or ground meat.

    A house specialty is the falafel, which consists of crispy balls of spiced garbanzo beans tucked in a warm pita with all the toppings. This tasty Mediterranean dish will please vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. It is served with tahina sauce, which is known for its delicate but tangy sesame flavor. Also consider trying the delicious "Deluxe Clubhouse" or the ever-popular corned beef, pastrami, roast beef, brisket or chopped liver sandwiches. Samson's even prepares chili dogs and Greek salad.

    Wash it all down with a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda, milkshake or New York-style Egg Cream. This latter drink is made of soda water, chocolate or vanilla syrup and milk; not a drop of egg in the glass, it tastes like chocolate milk with a kick.

    Be sure to leave room for dessert. You may peek in the bakery or dessert case before making a decision; the on-site bakery offers a tempting array of items that are difficult to refuse — especially for cheesecake, eclair and cookie lovers.

    The friendly service and homestyle atmosphere contribute to Samson's success; some employees have worked there for 15 years. Also noteworthy are the restaurant's colorful murals featuring frequent customers from over the years, and the movie star photos adorning the walls. The Hollywood theme extends to the bathrooms, where "men" and "women" are referred to as "actors" and "actresses."

    Samson's offers "geshmak" (Yiddish for "tasty favorites") for everyone at a reasonable price. Lekhayim!

- Melissa Jacobs

Revised menu and new name are a winning combo at Mission Valley chophouse

    The restaurant formerly known as Hungry Hunter has changed its name, upgraded its interior, and expanded its menu beyond the traditional steak and prime rib. Gone are the wormwood walls, moose heads and plastic flower overhangs, replaced by soft lighting, smooth walls in muted shades of green and purple, and high ceilings. Sharing is a big theme at the elegant new Hunter Steakhouse of Mission Valley, as is freedom of choice.

    If bread is any indication of the quality of food to follow, the sweet, delicious giant honey grain roll served with honey-cinnamon butter is an appropriate prelude to a Hunter meal. Parties of two or more may share the Jump Start appetizer plate ($4.95 per person) featuring samples of five appetizer selections: crab stuffed mushrooms, barbeque baby back ribs, potato skins, Cajun chicken breast and onion rings. The potato skins are piled higher than most with tomatoes, chopped green onions, bacon and cheddar cheese. The Cajun chicken breast is blackened and quite spicy.

    You could stop there, but why? The new entree menu includes traditional Hunter favorites such as prime rib in four cuts ranging from 7-20 ounces, priced from $11.95-$18.95, and various meats. Some steaks — including the Cajun tenderloin tips and filet Rockefeller — are new to the menu, as are a few other entrees, such as grilled lamb chops and beer battered shrimp. Traditional Hunter favorites like the whiskey peppercorn top sirloin have not been left off the new menu.

    One new item, the citrus ginger chicken, is a colorful dish presented on a bed of steamed vegetables and topped with a handful of flame-seared carrots. The orange juice-based marinade is touched with ginger, and the result is moist and flavorful. The citrus ginger chicken is one of several entrees offered in half and full cuts. The half cut ($9.95 compared to $12.95 for the full cut) was plenty for a meal that got a Jump Start.

    All entrees include a choice of New England clam chowder or a tableside salad bar. The salad is a treat; the waiter offers a choice of toppings from a lazy-Susan-style dish. A remnant of Hunter's past, the salad bar now includes dried cranberries — a tangy addition — and black olives. Salads also may be topped with croutons, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cheese and green onions.

    Also included with each entree is the trio of potatoes — basil mashed, scalloped and roasted redskins — served family style. Although the plates seem rather large at a table for two, the suggestion to try all three is an interesting alternative to the typical baked potato.

    Hunter Steakhouse has done something wonderful with its dessert menu — the tray designed to tempt guests is actually an example of The Big Finish, a plate with samples of each of the kitchen's desserts: mud pie, turtle cheesecake, Bailey's Irish Cream mousse, raspberry bread pudding, and seasonal fresh berries and cream. Priced at $3.95 per person, The Big Finish costs the same as if each person ordered an individual dessert; but the opportunity to try all five is not to be passed up. Once a favorite is found, it is difficult to remember the plate is meant for sharing.

- Danielle Laney