{"id":369156,"date":"2026-06-21T14:12:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T14:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/369156\/"},"modified":"2026-06-21T14:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T14:12:16","slug":"limoncello-bringing-the-flavors-and-spirit-of-italy-to-la-mesa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/369156\/","title":{"rendered":"Limoncello: Bringing the flavors and spirit of Italy to La Mesa\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Robin Dohrn Simpson\/Special for Times of San Diego<\/p>\n

Enter Limoncello Restaurant <\/a>in La Mesa, through the yellow and white striped awning, and be transported to sunny, southern Italy. <\/p>\n

The decor is lightly sprinkled with bright summer-inspired colors. Summer on the Amalfi Coast. The Neapolitan cuisine of southern Italy has a rich history of culinary traditions from the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. Each culture left a tradition behind: seafood, pasta, figs, pomegranates, fresh tomatoes, and broccoli.<\/p>\n

Although southern Italy didn\u2019t invent pasta, it fine-tuned the production and drying of pasta on racks. A nod to this tradition is displayed in the glass-enclosed pasta room, where Limoncello chefs hang homemade, colorful pasta on drying racks. Chefs also make their own ravioli. Gluten-free penne pasta is available.<\/p>\n

Some Antipasti dishes reflect the region, such as Cozze and Vongole, which are fresh mussels and clams with vermentino white wine and garlic crostini. Try the Polpette Sorrentino, which are Nonna\u2019s traditional meatballs with pomodoro sauce, Mediterranean olive and whipped ricotta.<\/p>\n

For main courses, they offer Brasato \u2013 an 18-hour braised boneless short rib with roasted tomato, Parmigiano Reggiano, and risotto. If you enjoy a rack of lamb, try the Agnello Arrosos. The lamb is grilled with romesco and salsa verde. <\/p>\n

For a classic Southern Italian dish, try the Eggplant Parmigiana di Melanzane, served over housemade fettuccine.<\/p>\n

On the menu are classic Italian dishes such as Spaghetti Carbonara or Lasagne Bolognese, but you\u2019ll also find Parmigiana di Melanzane, the classic Southern Italian-style eggplant parmigiana, and homemade fettuccine. <\/p>\n

Also notorious in Southern Italy is the seafood, and Limoncello does not miss a beat. Cioppino Livornese features fresh clams, fresh mussels, calamari, prawns, diced fish, along with Mediterranean olives, capers, and fresh tomato broth.<\/p>\n

Tuesday night is $15.95 Make Your Own Pasta night. Choose your pasta, your protein and your sauce.<\/p>\n

The wine list is impressive with imported red wines, such as a Nero d\u2019Avola or Barbera d\u2019Asti, and white wines, such as a Pinot Grigio or Moscato d\u2019Asti Santo from Italy. Transport yourself to an outdoor restaurant overlooking the Amalfi Coast with a Limoncello Martini or an Aperol Spritz.<\/p>\n

When life hands you lemons, make limoncello!<\/p>\n

Limoncello Restaurant
8273 La Mesa Blvd.
Hours: Dinner Thursdays through Sundays from 4-9 p.m. (10 p.m. on Saturdays).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Robin Dohrn Simpson\/Special for Times of San Diego Enter Limoncello Restaurant in La Mesa, through the yellow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":369157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[18241,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-369156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-italian-food","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}