Maurizio's Trattoria Italiana

Maurizio's Trattoria Italiana Restaurant Review:

Owner Maurizio Carbone, who hails from Varese, Italy, has been in San Diego since 1996, and his genuine charm and passion for food set the tone at this friendly neighborhood restaurant. Servers, dressed in black and conversing in rapid-fire Italian, bustle through the tight tables delivering antipasti like paper-thin beef carpaccio with arugula, polenta draped in Gorgonzola with sautéed mushrooms perfumed with white truffle oil, or baby calamari rings floating in spicy marinara. Fresh pastas do not disappoint, with standouts such as the fettuccine with salmon, mushrooms, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes simmered in a light tomato cream sauce or a well-composed carbonara. Secondi portions are hearty, as in the chicken Parmesan or massive rib-eye, both paired with mounds of spaghetti and sautéed veggies. Cannolis are the perfect cap to the meal. Choose from among plenty of Chiantis and other Italian vinos to complement the experience. Dining at Maurizio's transports you to Italy with its sounds and flavors, and al fresco seating on the patio allows guests to take in the scene along Coast Highway in the heart of Encinitas.