Romanissimo

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in San Diego.

Restaurateurs Vincenzo Loverso and Alessandro Minutella -- also behind Greystone The Steakhouse and Osetra The Fishhouse -- opened this Roman-inspired kitchen in the Gaslamp Quarter, in the space that had housed Saltwater. Handmade pasta anchors the menu: radiatori tossed in a short rib ragu with pecorino, and agnolotti filled with beef cheek and finished in brown butter and sage. Pizzas and seafood round out a menu that takes both walk-ins and reservations.