Cucina Urbana Restaurant Review
by migs
View from the bar
Category: Mediterranean, Italian
Neighborhood: Banker’s Hill
Rating: 4 out of 5
505 Laurel St
(between Horton Ave & 5th Ave)
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-2222
Price Range: $$
Let’s start with the important stuff. Happy hour. Everyday from 5pm-7pm. It’s too bad it’s only in the bar area but the deals are pretty good. $3 draft beers, $5 well drinks and $5 sangrias. They also have daily specials and we happened to be there on Thursday which is great for flat bread/pizza lovers. It’s all half off.
Peroni - Local and Italian. Very refreshing.
The vibe was so excellent. It’s as if we stepped into Sex in the City with cosmos and coats. I opted for beer, but it still felt so chic and cool. Definitely didn’t have that I’m too good for you vibe either. You can tell everyone in there was enjoying their company and I love that. No pretentious cliques (or workers) and the service was very friendly. Last week we ate at Hexagone and the vibe in there was completely different. It’s Sex and the City versus Fox News =x
Anyway, we came here with happy hour in mind and food as an after thought but the menu looked so good and since pizzas were half off, we couldn’t resist. The truffle parmesan fries that came out first were kind of amazing. I’ve downed a beer by now so I’m sure that added a teaspoon of amazingness but whatever lol.
I’m a big fan of truffle fries. I’m a firm believer that there is a right way to cook and season fries just as much as there is a right way of cooking a piece of fish. Priced at $7, it sounds like a lot but the amount was enough for 4 people which really makes it a deal. They were perfectly crispy with some still on the soggy side, which I love, and seasoned really well. A perfect amount of salt, parmesan and truffle oil. Really, really good!
Golden!
So onto the pizza. We ordered a Proscuitto pizza with rapini, fresno chili, mozzarella and caramelized onion. I really had no idea what rapini was or cared the chili came from fresno but the proscuitto was talking to me. I later looked up rapini and it’s a common vegetable in Sicilian, Galician, Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine.
I love that it came out in a pizza board instead of some boring plate or pizza pan. The wood board added a rustic touch. The pizza was delicious! It wasn’t too heavy, oily or over/under cooked. I took a bite into it and thought, “oh yea” this thing was juicy and flavorful, but still felt light. It had a flat bread vibe to it which I think added to the freshness of the pizza. It also came with a small dish of oregano, salt and pepper flakes. Perfecto! I hate asking for things that should be given with a meal. Sprinkling your own herbs/spices over shaking from a container ads a homely vibe. A+!!
oregano, salt, pepper flakes
Good for two people
We also ordered the ricotto gnocchi and “giant meatball” both of which were delicious. The gnocchi is probably good for 3-4 people to try and meatball for 2.
Ricotta Gnocchi + sage brown butter + parmigiano + amaretti
The Giant Meatball
Overall, this place is a knock out. Great atmosphere, pleasant happy hour and good food. Next time we go, we’ll experience a sit down dinner with cocktails and all. But for a chic bar experience with friends or co-workers, this place is really great!