Restaurant Review - Old Trieste

Thursday evening, Mrs. Daddy and I got decked out on a whim and visited a neighborhood restaurant, Old Trieste. Mrs. Daddy also wore her faux fur and high heels, which turned out to be very apropos. Old Trieste pretty much defines what you would expect from an "old school" Italian restaurant. One should certainly dress up a bit to enter this establishment. They have plush vinyl booths, although white has replaced red. You are served by mature gentlemen waiters in tuxedos who are exceedingly polite and made me feel well treated. The menu is not extensive, they stick to what they know, veal, seafood, Italian pastas and Fillet Mignon. I actually like the fewer choices on the menu, it usually means the chef knows what he is doing with those dishes through greater familiarity.

We were one of only three parties that evening as the weather in San Diego that night was uncharacteristically windy, rainy and cold. The service was leisurely but attentive. We ordered wine right away, no wine menu; we just discussed it with the waiters. We had excellent lightly breaded zucchini brought out right away as an appetizer. It was very close to the highlight of the evening. They kept the breading to the perfect minimum to retain the moisture of the vegetable and lock in its flavor. For dinner, I had the Veal Marsala and Mrs. Daddy had the Veal Parmigiana. We were also served spaghetti with marinara sauce and a spoon to help twirl the noodles as the side dish. This spaghetti on the side is another characteristic of old school Italian. The veal was tender and the Marsala sauce creditable. I thought Mrs. Daddy's veal had a little more mozzarella than necessary, but was still tender and good. All in all the main courses were very good. For desert we split a nicely done tiramisu.

Even though we had an enjoyable evening with very good food, I am not sure we will visit again very soon. The prices are just a tad high for the quality of the meal and you have to be in the mood for a certain restaurant experience to go there.