San Diego: Vigilucci's

Succulent cioppino with mussels, clams, prawns and calamari

We hit the jackpot in finding a fantastic Italian restaurant in Carlsbad, near San Diego on our first night. Vigilucci's looked packed but we managed to snag a table outside under a heating lamp.

Since the pandemic the restaurant has expanded to not only convert its retail space into dining space, but also the business next door too.

The server was Italian, friendly and when he told us the special of the evening was sea bass with white asparagus, we were sold. Three out of the five of us ordered that dish. The fish was lightly pan-fried with a crispy exterior and tender and flaky meat inside.

Sea bass with white asparagus, mashed potatoes

White asparagus in February? Apparently. I asked the waiter where it came from but he never got back to me. They were fresh, stalks were not cooked enough, but we were thrilled just to be able to eat them with a potato mash and roasted Brussels sprouts. 

Needless to say we were stuffed and had no room for dessert after, but promised we'd be back.

Valentine's Day we ambitiously tried to get a table -- at 8.15pm. When we got there it was raining lightly which put a damper on many couples' dining plans. When we arrived at the restaurant there was a very long line of people waiting to be seated, but we marched to the receptionist and asked for our table.

Would they give it to us as promised or would we have to go to the back of the line on the most romantic day of the year?

As luck would have it, a booth opened up and we were able to have our table! Amazing!

The valentine's dinner menu looked very appealing but it was the cioppino that interested me. I knew it would be a huge portion, but heck, it's Valentine's Day -- to me.

Cozy booth seating at the back of the restaurant

I resisted eating bread while waiting for the dish -- actually a large shallow platter that was filled with seafood in a delicious herbed tomato saucy soup -- with three pieces of grilled bread on top.

When I dug into the cioppino I was in seafood heaven, the pieces of salmon perfectly cooked along with the plump mussels and clams, there was also a lot of fresh calamari and baby shrimp. Sadly the prawns were overcooked and a bit tough, but everything else was so good. 

I focused on the seafood and managed to finish almost all of it, save for several calamari rings and left the bread behind. I was stuffed to say the least. The dish could have easily fed two.

Again we were too full to even contemplate dessert, but at the end of the evening each lady got a long stem red rose which was a nice touch. They even stayed fresh several days afterwards!

Vigilucci's Cucina Italiana

2943 State Street

Carlsbad, CA

92008

(760) 434 2500