Bill S.
Yelp
The family and I had dinner at Oltre Mare last Saturday. We were craving Italian food and San Diego has so much good Italian food that we were going to head over to Little Italy for dinner. That all changed after we had an amazing lunch at Ironside Fish & Oyster and were in a food and drink coma. Once we got back to our beach cottage, we didn't feel like driving back to Little Italy.
Instead, the Mrs. looked on Yelp and found Oltre Mare and said we could bring our own wine. Wooohoooo! Another big plus was that Oltre Mare was about a 2 to 3 block walk from where we were staying. So around 6, we made the trek to dinner. After walking through a not so well lit neighborhood, passing drunk college kids who were partying in their front yards, we made it to the corner of Cass St. and Thomas.
When you come upon the corner of Cass St. and Thomas, you'll find a dimly lit corner with an old building on it. Two old buildings actually. First you see a hair salon and then right next to it, lit up with a warm and welcoming glow, is Oltre Mare.
Oltre Mare looks like it is in what used to be an old house. There were people dining inside which my wife was shocked to see, but after what we had seen over the last day and a half, I wasn't. There was some outdoor seating on the side of the building and a small table in front. We were seated at one of the tables on the side.
Our waitress was also the owner and her husband is the chef which adds to the charm of Oltre Mare. Their website says, "Oltre Mare Italian Restaurant is a small and cozy place just two blocks away from the chaotic Garnet Avenue. Here You are going to experience the real atmosphere of the true Italian "Trattoria" where you can taste good food made with all the love and passion that a real Italian can use. We offer you the warmth of your living room and the feeling of being among real friends eating good food."
This above statement is true and you can tell from the food. One thing I will tell you if don't bother dining at Oltre Mare if you're in a hurry. You can't rush good food. Especially fresh pasta.
We started our meal with steamed mussels(not a regular menu item) and Burrata. The Mrs. and I thought we might get a bowl of steamed mussels, but instead we got a platter, but they were really good. The Burrata was simple, but all you really need is tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and salt and pepper.
My daughter ordered the Ricotta Gnocchi with marinara sauce. The gnocchi were homemade and she ate every one of them. The Mrs. ordered the Pappardelle ai funghi Porcini. The pasta was so fresh and with the richness of the Porcini mushrooms was an incredible combination. I ordered the Wild Boar Bolognese, which is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Again, fresh pasta mingled with a rich, gamey Bolognese sauce. I cleaned the plate! Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert.
Since Oltre Mare is a BYOW(Bring Your Own Wine) it is also BYOWG(Bring Your Own Wine Glass), otherwise you can use the house water glasses. there also isn't a corkage fee, so you don't have to feel bad about the price of the bottle wow wine you brought. Which, in our case, was a $4.99 bottle from Trader Joe's.