Bhadri Kubendran
The team behind Pacific Beach pizzeria Ambrogio15, who recently opened Pearl Street aperitivo bar Ciao Ciao Piadina, will launch their second restaurant in La Jolla this Saturday, May 22 when Semola opens on Fay Avenue in the former Prepkitchen space. Though it was originally meant to be a stand-alone spot for their quick-service pasta concept that relocated from the Little Italy Food Hall, co-founder Giacomo Pizzigoni says they decided to explore a different direction to capitalize on the skills and creativity of the chefs currently in the group’s orbit.
In 2019, Ambrogio15 entered a partnership with chef Silvio Salmoiraghi of Italy’s Michelin-starred Ristorante Acquerello, who consulted on a new pizza menu that will soon be unveiled at the group’s upcoming restaurant inside the Sky Deck project at Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Salmoiraghi’s contributions to Semola include several pasta dishes, with the overall menu created and overseen by head chef Dani
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This weekend, the Milanese trio behind the popular Pacific Beach pizzeria Ambrogio15 will open a new restaurant that its owners hope will encourage San Diegans to not only re-examine Italian cooking but also the concept of fine dining.
Semola, the Ambrogio15 Gstronomy Project will open Saturday evening in the former PrepKitchen restaurant space at 7556 Fay Ave. in La Jolla. The menu featuring mostly locally sourced ingredients will mix contemporary pasta dishes created by a Michelin-starred chef in Italy, with gastronomic influences from Argentina, Japan and South Korea. With six chefs and initially just 35 outdoor seats, Semola will offer a fine dining experience at market prices, according to Giacomo Pizzigoni, who co-founded the Milano Five Group in 2016 with partners Andrea Burrone and Luca Salvi.
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The prolific San Diego restaurant group, CH Projects, is currently in escrow to purchase the Lafayette Hotel, a North Park landmark that in its heyday was a retreat for some of Hollywood’s most famous movie stars.
The prospective sale, first reported Tuesday by SanDiegoVille.com was confirmed by CH co-founder Arsalun Tafazoli, whose company would be making its first foray into hotel ownership should the purchase be successful. CH Projects is known for its robust portfolio of San Diego drinking and dining venues, including Born & Raised and Ironside Fish & Oyster in Little Italy and Raised by Wolves in in Westfield UTC.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
The Dish: San Diego entrepreneurs bringing sustainable seafood and packaged meals to local doorsteps [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
This month, two San Diego entrepreneurs launched direct-to-customer frozen meal companies that aim to replicate the sit-down restaurant experience at a time when diners are eating nearly all of their meals at home. And Oceanside’s The Plot restaurant has also introduced a reusable food packaging concept for take-home meals.
PureFish, a seafood company selling crates of pre-trimmed frozen portions of fish and shellfish on oven-ready trays, began taking orders for its mixed-seafood boxes on Monday. And In Good Company, which launched Dec. 7, collaborates with San Diego restaurants to prepare and home-deliver frozen family-style entrees in ready-to-cook stainless steel containers.
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This month, two San Diego entrepreneurs launched direct-to-customer frozen meal companies that aim to replicate the sit-down restaurant experience at a time when diners are eating nearly all of their meals at home. And Oceanside’s The Plot restaurant has also introduced a reusable food packaging concept for take-home meals.
PureFish, a seafood company selling crates of pre-trimmed frozen portions of fish and shellfish on oven-ready trays, began taking orders for its mixed-seafood boxes on Monday. And In Good Company, which launched Dec. 7, collaborates with San Diego restaurants to prepare and home-deliver frozen family-style entrees in ready-to-cook stainless steel containers.