by Wendy Lemlin

Toast Enoteca & Cucina in East Village

TOAST Enoteca & Cucina, serving modern Italian Cuisine in San Diego’s East Village has been on my “must try” list for quite some time, and after finally doing so last week, I can only ask myself, “What the hell took me so long?”  It seems I’ve been seriously missing out for the four years the wine bar and restaurant has been open.

AMBIANCE

TOAST’s casual yet sophisticated ambiance.

First— the casually classy décor. It’s earthy, warm, intimate and invitingly sophisticated, without pretension or forced “artiness”.

Racks of wine provide decor elements at TOAST

Best of all: you can actually have a conversation with your dinner partner and not have to shout over the deafening “buzz” that so many new restaurants are going for these days— and which is thankfully absent here.

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FOOD

But, ambiance will get you nowhere if the quality of the food and service doesn’t measure up–and at TOAST, it more than did. Hiding behind the deceptive simplicity of the modern Italian cuisine is a flavor and texture extravaganza. Chef/owner Martin Gonzalez is a purist, having learned his considerable skills at culinary school in Florence, Italy, and he goes for the substance over the flash. Not for him the overblown artistic presentations that look amazing but taste pedestrian; his food succeeds because it is all about tastebud satisfaction.

Chef/owner Martin Gonzalez

“My style is simple”, explains Gonzalez, who grew up in Sinaloa, MX, but whose love of learning languages took him first to Arizona, then Belgium, and eventually Italy. He enrolled in culinary school there, almost on a whim, as a way to become fluent in Italian, and found his passion in the kitchen. “When I’m cooking, I just try to make things the right way, the way I was taught.  There are too many cooks out there these days who spend their time playing with culinary alchemy, but don’t know how to dress a simple salad or grill the perfect steak.  It’s all about mastering the basics, first, and presenting honest, delicious flavor that stands on its own.”

TASTES of TOAST

Cavolfiore al Forno

The Cavolfiore al Forno featured wonderfully al dente pieces of roasted cauliflower bathed in a tomato garlic sauce that was so flavorful that I broke my usual “no bread” rule to eat almost a whole house-made toasty loaf, just to soak up every drop of the sauce.

Cozze del Marinaio

I love mussels, so the Cozze del Marinaio was a no-brainer for me, but in all honesty, I have never tasted mussels like this. The addition of broccolini added a depth of flavor to the dish that was totally unexpected, and the robustness of the pleasantly garlicky (no chance of vampires getting anywhere near me that night!) wine and butter sauce balanced the lovely intensity of the shellfish impeccably.  Yes, I indulged in even more bread to soak all of that up as well.

Lasagna al Ragu Bianco d’Antra also was a revelation in richness with an autumnal combination of duck ragu, kale, chard and parmesan cheese layered between the sheets of house-made lasagna noodles.

Lasagna al Ragu Bianco d’Antra

If I could make one suggestion, it would be to have one or two additional vegetarian or seafood options that don’t have any meat components Not being a mammal-eater, I know that I could always ask to leave out the prosciutto or pancetta, for example, but I know that chefs work hard to balance a dish’s flavor profile and that removing an ingredient, often makes the difference between a great dish and a merely satisfactory one. Speaking of dietary restrictions—at TOAST, there are a number of gluten-free menu options , including pizza.

WINE

Being an Enoteca, of course TOAST has an extensive wine list—up to 400 selections, and Chef Martin’s menu is designed to complement the wine. Thanks to the restaurant’s state-of-the-art Enomatic dispensing machines, 65 different wines from throughout the world are available to sample by the ounce, so patrons can enjoy a wine tasting of their own design, or sample several wines with their dinner before committing to a bottle or glass.

State-of-the art wine dispensing Enomatic machines allow for tastings by the ounce.

TOAST Enoteca & Cucina is located at 927 J St. in San Diego’s EastVillage. 619-269-4207  toastenoteca.com Hours: M-TH 11:30AM – 10PM,  FR & SA 11:30AM-midnight, SU 5PM-10PM (If the Padres are playing a home game, Sunday Brunch is served starting at 11:30AM)