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Food, North Park, Little Italy

High Honors from Italy for Two Local Restaurants

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

To our nation’s Italian restaurateurs, earning ‘forks’ in the Top Italian Restaurants Guide is equivalent to scoring a Michelin star. The guide is published annually by Italy’s leading food and wine rating group, Gambero Rosso.

In its 2023 edition, it awarded forks to two San Diego kitchens.

Grabbing a three-fork honor is Cori Trattoria Pastificio in North Park. Owned by Sicilian Chef, Accursio Lota, the judges were particularly swooned by his homemade pasta, and dishes such as the cacio e pepe fritters, meatballs with tomato sauce, and “tortelli” stuffed with Kabocha squash and lamb sausage. They also applauded the focused wine list because it gives “great attention to lesser known native grape varieties and biodynamic producers.”

Over in Little Italy, the vegan-friendly Civico 1845 earneds two forks. Winning dishes included vegan lasagna using “perfectly textured sheets of pasta made only with semolina and flour,” plus vegan ragout constructed with pea protein. It gave additional shout-outs to the selection of wines by the glass, which range from “elegant Rossese” to “striking Nebbiolo.”