When the moon hits your eye
... Like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.” Only Dean Martin could sing a song like that and get away with it. I didn’t have a big pizza pie, but my daughter had a small one. Vegan. Delicious-looking veggies and vegan cheese. Vegan cheese comes from vegan cows? No. I’m not sure where it comes from, but I know those vegan cows don’t moo.
We were at Si Amo Napoli, a neopolitan restaurant in North Park. The restaurant is new, and it replaces Il Postino on 30th Street. If you are ever near North Park, go. Make reservations. Do not stop at Pizza Hut or other impostors. Go get yourself some real Italian food. The food is regional, southern Italy from the area of Naples.
Yes. Naples was, and probably still is, mafia country. Wouldn’t you know that the mafia has thrived in one of the poorest areas of Italy? Read one of Elena Ferrante’s Neopolitan novels. There are four in the series. While reading, “My Brilliant Friend,” I could remember similar events growing up in Brooklyn. You’ll enjoy the food more if you read some of these novels set in post-war Naples. Poor kids growing up with rich friendships.
To be forewarned: The parking in North Park is tough, so just pay for a lot on Ohio. It’s not expensive. Drivers just hover around 30th Street waiting for a spot, and they are quicker than us country people. Or if you are staying in the area, just take Lyft.
I had one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. If you don’t want an expensive main course, the second plate, order a couple of appetizers (crushed cherry tomatoes and shishito peppers, braised artichokes), maybe some handmade pasta, or a pizza. In the end, it’s just better to raid your piggy bank before you go, and order the complete courses. You won’t be sorry. Hey. We have friends who work at Imperial Valley Italian restaurants, so no offense. But this is the real thing.
My daughter frequents the place for two reasons. It’s on the ground floor of where she lives. I should be so lucky. But more so, she can practice her Italian. The owners who spun off this restaurant from another in Little Italy, speak Italian. Some of the cooks speak only a little English. What I could pick up from their conversations comes from the little Spanish I speak, so if you are a Spanish speaker you can transition to Italian and feel at home.
There’s an elderly greeter, too. His name is Zio Vincenzo, and he walks around the restaurant making people feel welcomed. He’s easy to spot. He’s better dressed than the Walmart greeters. He wears a white dress shirt and a black suit. It’s the old country touch. At Imperial Valley Italian restaurants, you’ll see hanging on the walls large black and white photos of old Italian men. This guy is alive and well fed. Probably ravioli.
Zio knows my daughter. Kisses her hand. As Marilyn sang, “A kiss on the hand is quite continental, but diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Marilyn not being there, a kiss on the hand is a big deal in San Diego. No diamonds in sight.
We’re on the second course, another guy comes over and kisses her hand. Don’t these guys have work to do? And I’m trying to eat. The sea bass is delicious. Zio’s back. They talk some more. Zio corrects my daughter’s Italian which she appreciates. He tells us that the dessert is on the house.
The tiramisu is like the moon hit me in the eye.