If you ever find yourself spending the night in San Luis Obispo, this restaurant would be a good bet for dinner. As we walked around town, there were not a large number of fine dining establishments to select from, but since Italian is high on our radar, we took a chance and ate a very decent meal here. Palazzo Giuseppe must be very popular as there were no tables available inside, so we settled for al fresco dining in what can only be described as a mini mall with shoppers passing by as we attempted to enjoy our meal, trying to become oblivious to our surroundings.
Their Cesar salad passed muster with its dressing and they get credit for the presentation of placing the leaves of Romaine in an upward tepee like configuration. there must be an aspiring architect or anthropologist in the kitchen; not so unlikely in a college town. The goat cheese and pecan salad with strawberry dressing gets points too, although I would have liked to see more pecans on the dish as well as a bit more goat cheese.
The dressing was a vinaigrette with some of the strawberries macerated into it and it provided a beautiful color to the dish as well as a bright, fruity, sweet flavor to the dressing itself. The fruit also helped to make the dressing a thicker and silky in texture. I could barely take my eyes off of this presentation, since the butter lettuce was again placed in an atypical manner on the plate, as though it were still an entire head, instead of purposely arranged leaves.
Now we come to the best part, the pasta course. It's difficult to pass up home made pasta and when shape is something unusual, it's absolutely mandatory to give it a go, so Strozzapretti was my selected option. Mouth feel is so important in fresh pasta and the "priest strangler" did not disappoint. It was both tender and slightly chewy and was dressed in a sweet combination of peas and cream, with some pancetta, parsley, mint, and Gorgonzola Dolce. Adding the mint was a classicly Italian approach that makes a perfect compliment for the young peas.
For all the spaghetti and meat ball fans, this was much better than it looks. The meatballs, besides being the size of meat loaves, were juicy, tender and highly flavorful. They did in fact, taste like what one might reasonably expect an old world grandmother to make; perfetto. The tomato sauce was better than most and although the spaghetti does not seem plentiful up against the meatballs, the dish was very filling and satisfying. No room for desserts this time, but coming back to this restaurant to try one is on my short list of things to do in San Luis Obispo.
1010 Court Street
San Luis Obispo Ca 93401
Phone: (805) 541-9922
Phone: (805) 541-9922
Fax: (805) 541-9929
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