San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.comItalian Cuisine Thrills Mission Hills

Italian Cuisine Thrills Mission Hills

With a neighborhood feel and a menu that's the real deal, a local Italian bistro is finding quite a following. In this "Dining Out with San Diego Magazine," Larry Himmel heads to Mission Hills.

One of the latest additions to the Mission Hills dining scene is Ollivetto Cafe. It's located in the building that used to house the Mission Hills Cafe and features casual, Italian cuisine.

"At night, it's kind of a happening little bar. There's a lot of conversation and it can be noisy. People are spilling out onto the sidewalk, continuing conversation and it can get a little bit hectic. But it can also be fun," said San Diego Magazine Restaurant Critic, Robin Kleven Dishon.

"I like to go during lunch, because it's a little bit more peaceful. You can have a business lunch. You can meet a friend," continued Dishon. "They have a marvelous selection of paninis, which are a great deal at lunch."

"These are paninis worth driving across town for. They use the bread from Bread and Cie, ciabatta bread. And they are just stacked high with any number of ingredients. Their grilled veggie has egg plant and peppers and tomato and also combos with a side salad, which is a nice touch," continued Dishon. "I also liked the chicken pesto. It's got peppers, pesto, a nice grilled chicken breast. They have egg plant and arugula, which is a nice combo."

"I think a lot of their salads hit the mark. They have a beet salad and goat cheese," noted Dishon. "A panzanella, which is an Italian bread salad with arugula, which is a nice peppery green. And they also do their pastas quite nicely. It's an old historic building, right there on Washington Street. And it just has a kind of quaint, rustic air to it that's very pleasant."

Olivetto Cafe more than fills the bill in Mission Hills.