Operacaffe - Gaslamp, San Diego

We had the good fortune of discovering this wonderful little Italian Restaurant near Horton Plaza the other night and we were very pleased!

The restaurant is cozy and cute with exposed brick walls and antique furnishings. The owners, Roberto and Patrizia, are a Florentine husband and wife team with a passion for authentic, fresh food. Apparently, Roberto was part owner of La Strada, also downtown, for many years. We felt both the atmosphere and the food were reminiscent of Florence. To start, we had the I Coccoli, fried pizza dough with stracchino cheese, and prosciutto di parma. It was devine! I didn't catch the Italian names of our meals but I had large ravioli filled with shrimp and crab with a creme sauce.  The portions were large and the dish was fantastic. My fiance had penne with Italian sausage and a vodka cream sauce. It, too, was excellent. We both had glasses of wine and were happy with the quality and selection. We were stuffed and a little disappointed that we couldn't take our leftovers (we were going out afterward). The prices here are very reasonable especially in comparison to nearby restaurants in the Gaslamp. I am looking forward to returning to Operacaffe again soon.  www.operacaffe.com