THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Mezzogiorno

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Mezzogiorno Restaurant Review:

The number of young Italians flooding into San Diego bent on bringing this city contemporary Italian cuisine as enjoyed in its homeland warms our hearts, and our stomachs as well whenever we choose to dine at such delightful new establishments such as Mezzogiorno. The acoustics could be better, but the lights are relatively low, the better to see the flames from the wood-burning oven in the display kitchen flickering on the walls. The service pleases us much, as does the menu, which lists such intriguing items as a vegetable salad built on a base of hard-boiled eggs and grilled chicken strips. The starter of oven-roasted Italian sausage topped with sautéed onions and bell peppers is old-fashioned, savory and ever so appealing, as is the made-to-order, appetizer-sized portion of eggplant Parmigiana. Eggplant is used creatively on this menu, and another dish we like is the rollini di melanzane, which rolls slices of eggplant around spaghetti, and bakes the savory bundles under a topping of mozzarella, basil leaves and fresh tomato sauce. And then again, the entrée list offers a briny zuppa di pesce laden with shellfish, squid and salmon in a light marinara sauce, and a plate of baked baby pork chops flavored with an enticing medley of herbs. The portions, as in Italy, tend to be somewhat daunting, but we usually make a sincere effort to finish our plates.