Civico 1845 Launches New Spring Menu To Pay Homage To Southern Italy

By Hoa Quach, Times of San Diego

April 20, 2023

Little Italy’s beloved Civico 1845 recently announced a new spring menu to celebrate the owners’ Calabrian roots.

The offerings, which are available now, feature roughly 80% new or revamped dishes across both its traditional and vegan menus.

“We are always innovating and looking for new ways to uplift our philosophy of clean, flavor-forward cuisine,” Executive Chef Pietro Gallo said. “Our spring menu offers a wide variety of new flavor profiles and sauces that emphasize the freshness of the produce and ingredients we use, without the over-reliance on heavy cream or butter to weigh things down.”

New traditional items include Polipo e Calamari, a refreshing southern Italian seafood salad appetizer of octopus, calamari, olives, cherry tomato confit and potatoes; Ragu Calabrese, a recreation of a beloved Gallo family recipe featuring fresh garganelli pasta and slow-cooked short rib ragu, topped with braised pork short ribs, homemade Calabrian sausage and pecorino cheese; and Raviolo ai Gamberi, homemade ravioli stuffed with prawns and ricotta cheese topped with a thyme butter sauce.

New vegan dishes include Chips di Pasta, a whimsical play on San Diego’s love of chips and salsa featuring deep fried rigatoni pasta served with lime-infused vegan mayonnaise for dipping and Bruschetta Ricotta with almond ricotta cheese, figs, caramelized walnuts and basil.

“Our spring menu continues to pay homage to our Calabrian roots and highlights what’s being served across Southern Italy today,” Gallo said. “For example, orecchiette con cime di rapa (orecchiette with broccoli rabe) is one of the most popular pasta dishes from the Italian region of Puglia, so we created both traditional and vegan versions for our guests to enjoy.”

Gallo said the Ragu Calabrese is especially special. The dish features a garganelli,a tube-shaped pasta that is “rolled on a gnocchi board to create ridges that help capture as much saucy goodness as possible.”

“This dish is particularly near to our hearts, as it is a re-creation of what our Nonna Maria (our grandmother) would make every Sunday during our childhood,” he said. “It is our way of bringing a bit of Cosenza to San Diego.”

Civico 1845 is one of only four restaurants in San Diego to be ranked by Gambero Rosso International – the definitive resource on the most authentic Italian restaurants around the world – and has received a “2 Forchette” rating every year since 2016.

Go to www.civico1845.com for more information.

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