Birthday Freebie (Cucina Urbana)

I know Cucina Urbana has been open for a long time now, but I finally just made it out there to have a birthday dinner with the boyfriend.. This restaurant is located on Banker’s Hill, which can be a complete suck-fest for parking during busy dinnertime hours. Don’t even try walking in here without a reservation, they get booked FAST. We had reservations for a borderline early bird 5:45pm, so we scored a pretty sweet parking spot close by.

The minimalist wooden and steel furnishings are stylish, but let’s face it- I came here to eat, not to admire the surroundings. We started out with the ricotta gnudi ($10.50), and dear god, I could have eaten a million more of those little bits of heaven. So tender and flavorful, these little guys practically melted in my mouth. I only wished there were more than 6 pieces (sharing with the table is so overrated). 

For the main course, I chose the short rib pappardelle ($18.50) and the man (who I shall heretofore refer to as J) had the lasagna al forno ($15.50). I will say that even though his dish was tasty with the sausage and veal ragu, my pappardelle kicked his lasagna’s ass (if cheesy pasta entrĂ©es had asses). The cremini mushrooms and short rib married so well.. it was rich and they definitely do not skimp out on the meat to pasta ratio (J thought it a bit on the heavy side, but it was right up my alley). 


And because it was my birthday, we got a little dessert on the house. Tip- if you’re out celebrating a special occasion, be it a birthday or a promotion, let the server or front desk know! And here’s another tip from the resident cheapo: If you like a restaurant, join their mailing list. In most cases, you’ll get occasional discounts and heads up on promotions coming up. Unless of course, you’re California Pizza Kitchen, which in case, you will give NOTHING to your loyal customer. Yeah that’s right, I’m calling you out, CPK! I joined Cucina’s mailing list, and so we got $10 off our appetizer and one of the entrĂ©es. And who doesn’t like some extra money in their pocket?


505 Laurel Street 
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-2222

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