Aqua Mare Cucina Italiana & Cocktails — Restaurant in San Diego

After the unfortunate experience at Amalfi Restaurant, our group sought a culinary redemption, a true “ricominciare da capo,” and ventured out for dinner once more, hoping to “dimenticare il passato” with an evening of Renaissance-inspired gastronomic delight.

In the glorious tradition of the Renaissance, where art and gastronomy intertwined to create symphonies for the senses, we gathered to partake in a feast most divine. Our collective palates were treated to a selection of dishes that transcended mere sustenance, each one a testament to culinary mastery far surpassing the offerings of our previous dining misadventure.

We began our journey with the Parmigiana di Melanzane, where layers of tender eggplant melded with fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato sauce in a harmonious blend that sang praises to the gods of old. This was followed by the Sauté di Vongole e Cozze, a medley of mussels and clams kissed by the fiery embrace of Calabrian chili, immersed in a light fish broth with crostini, a true symphony of the sea.

The Oyster Aqua Mare presented us with the daily selection of fresh oysters, each one a pearl of the ocean, served with a sauce so divine it could only be described as ambrosial. As we moved through the courses, the Lasagna Bolognese stood out, with layers of fresh pasta, bolognese ragu, ricotta, mozzarella, parmigiano, and béchamel, creating a masterpiece of culinary architecture that transported us to the verdant hills of Bologna.

The Frutti di Mare, with its linguine intertwined with clams, mussels, shrimp, and scallops in a spicy marinara sauce, was a tribute to Neptune himself, a testament to the bounty of the sea. The Ragu’ di Agnello, with homemade tagliatelle sautéed with tender lamb ragu, brought us to the pastoral landscapes of Tuscany, where the lambs graze in verdant pastures and the air is rich with the scent of rosemary and thyme.

The Branzino alla Livornese, with its fresh premier seabass filet adorned with cherry tomatoes, taggiasca olives, capers, and a white wine sauce, accompanied by roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach, was a portrait of Livorno’s coastal splendor, painting the table with flavors as vivid as a fresco. Finally, the Grigliata di Pesce, a mixed grill of jumbo scallop, shrimp, salmon, and sea bass, drizzled with lemon beurre blanc and served with roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach, was a divine finale. Each morsel was a note in a composition that celebrated the fruits of the ocean, grilled to perfection and bursting with zest.

Indeed, in the spirit of Renaissance excellence, this repast far exceeded our expectations, leaving us in awe of the culinary artistry displayed. With dishes that not only nourished the body but also the soul, we departed with hearts full and spirits lifted, our taste buds forever enchanted by this gastronomic odyssey. Thus, our desire to “ricominciare da capo” was fulfilled, transforming our dining experience into a cherished memory, allowing us to “dimenticare il passato” and embrace the present with joy and...

I don't like leaving 1 star reviews, but on this incident i really have to. So let's start.

First off,

The beginning experience was awesome, waiter, ambiance, and the food(but not much protein portions on the pastas). My wife and I ordered the calamari for appetizer which was awesome. The main entrees: Wife ordered the salmon vodka which she liked, but not much protein added mainly all pasta, and i ordered the chipotle prawn pasta dish, this was good but only 3 prawns not even that big for $21 ridiculous if you ask me.

The final spill over:

We booked our reservation via Opentable, and i also have a passport dining card which entitles you to a second entree for free of equal or lesser value. The waiter took our bill, and made the charge. Then the owner comes, and then tells us we cannot combine opentable + passport dining since we are getting both coupons? I am like what the heck are you talking about? He's like i am paying open table $15 for a confirmed reservation, and you are using the passport card, and you cannot use that since i am already paying open table and my rent is expensive. You have to pay full price, i cannot honor passport dining card. I am like so what? I am not using coupons, i booked my reservation on a reservation website, and i am using passport dining card which is paid annually for high-end restaurants, and whatever you pay to open table and your rent is none of my business. Can you believe what the owner did? Made a big scene with other customers are eating, he doesn't have good management skills, and then to top it off he even honored the card, since it was his mistake, and then apologized at the end when it was too late. Any good owner/manager would of never argued like this, when i the customer was right in the first place, pathetic experience ruined our entire quiet night we were having. He wanted to call the opentable guy right there at 8pm at Inight, when they were closed; he also wanted to take my number down to follow up after he called opentable, and i said no i am not giving you my number. This owner is lousy, and doesn't even know what's right. I have never ever encountered anything like this before ever.

Once again, the food is good, but the management sucks. I will never ever come back here again, and i will for sure tell all my colleagues to never set a foot...

We tried the Seasalt restaurant in Del Mar this evening for dinner. It's under new ownership, and Laura (the new owner) also owns Villa Capri in Carmel Valley, our weekly go-to restaurant for Italian food for many years now. We love Villa Capri! It's been exciting watching Laura working on her new venture.

That said, tonight was our first visit to Seasalt. The location is excellent, with a nice view of the lagoon and PCH, with the Pacific Ocean just beyond the horizon. You can dine indoors or out on the glassed in, 2nd-floor patio. We chose outside.

Hannah, our server, was excellent: attentive, courteous and punctual. We had the roasted Jerusalem artichokes as an appetizer, what we usually get at Villa Capri. Perfect! Just the right amount of garlic and olive oil, roasted to perfection.

My wife had the featured Sea Bass. Again, excellent, cooked to perfection. It had some marinara sauce on top, a bit overwhelming for the delicate fish; a light butter, capers, lemon and parsley would have been better. Nonetheless, it was served well by Hannah, and my wife enjoyed it.

I had a standard pasta with clams. Laura's pasta is always homemade and fresh, one of the few restaurants in San Diego that makes its own pasta daily. Always good.

Laura's wine list was excellent, and I had a nice Pinot Grigio with my pasta and clams. Unlike Villa Capri, Seasalt has a full bar. I was tempted to indulge, but demurred . . . although the Jameson Irish whiskey before dinner called.

All in all, Seasalt was solid: excellent service; beautiful location; good food. Laura has a transformation in mind, developing Seasalt into a first-class Italian seafood restaurant in a perfect location. That's in progress, and it will be interesting watching Seasalt's transformation. As we've been loyal Villa Capri patrons for many years, so will we enjoy Seasalt as it transforms.

I gave Seasalt 4 stars, as there is always room for improvement . . . and Laura's vision for Seasalt is admirable. By all means, try it out. You won't be...