Osteria Romantica

Fabio Speziali, who grew up near Lake Como, and Antonio Mastellone, from Sorrento, opened this La Jolla Shores restaurant in 2004. The San Diego Reader described the dining room as sunny and cheerful, with checkered tablecloths and a patio that could pass for a movie set, and singled out the pappardelle with braised lamb and the gnocchi gratinati. San Diego Reader called it a good choice for a date, an anniversary or a birthday, while still keeping the feel of a neighborhood spot.