Catania is a newer restaurant from the Whisknladle group in the California beachside town of La Jolla, where I went to high school. My parents enjoy dining here and made reservations for us, requesting a table on their nice deck outside. Of course upon arrival, they seated us inside and didn't honor our outdoor reservation since they were full. Nonetheless we decanted our bottle of wine and ordered our appetizers. Both the crudo and the octopus were wonderful. The waiter brought some type of deep fried mozzarella balls wrapped in risotto on the house. When he found out my mother and I have gluten allergies, he brought us an additional plate (amazing mozzarella and prosciutto) since the first treat contained gluten.
When it came time to order our mains, we chose to order their special of the day - whole snapper. But of course, they had run out. Instead we ordered a pizza and a few of their pastas to share, including their duck pasta which is one of their specialties. We ordered two duck pastas, one gluten free and one regular, in addition to a gluten free Bucatini all' Amatriciana per the waiter's recommendation. I'm a huge fan of duck so I was pretty excited. The food was served in the middle of the table, looking hot and tasty. My mom and I dug into the gluten free pastas, only to have our throats burning from the amount of salt on these. It seemed like the gluten free pastas had double if not triple the amount of salt necessary. My parents had eaten this dish before and they claim it was never this salty. Luckily the non-gluten free version was well seasoned. We still ate the majority of the food but did mention it to the waiter. He proceeded to bring out three desserts (two of which were gluten free) on the house. Additionally, the manager brought us a gift card for $75 for our troubles.
We were intrigued at how the staff turned what could have been a bad dining experience into quite the memorable one. We counted about 7 dishes we received free in addition to the dining credit for next time. The service made up for the kitchen's mistakes and overall the food was very good (But could do with less salt, of course). Guess we will be going back here to use up that credit!
Local Halibut Crudo (Quince Puree, Olive and Pistachio Relish, Mint and Parsley)
Local Baby Lettuces (Dates, Pomegranate, Sweet Potato, Gorgonzola)
Crispy Octopus with Merguez Sausage, Chickpeas, Capers and Herb Salad
Merguez & Padrons Pizza (Spicy lamb sausage, chili, tomato, mozzarella, oregano, padron peppers and a farm egg)
Buffalo Mozzarella and Prosciutto, Tomatoes, Fennel Seeds, Chili
Duck Sugo Orecchiette
Bucatini all' Amatriciana (Shrimp, Slow braised tomatoes, Guanciale, Calabrian Chili)
Gluten free version of the Duck Pasta
Torta di Ricotta (Figs, candied almonds, Fior di latte Gelato)
Chocolat and Amaretto Bonet
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