Godfather Italian Restaurant   

The Godfather Restaurant transcends being a simple red-sauce joint with its firm commitment to authentic old-country recipes rendered as perfectly as possible. There are no short cuts, no frou-frou nouvelle flash, just excellent Sicilian food. The sauce is all that matters here -- a ruby red miracle that lovingly covers the plated pasta. Herbs are subtle, garlic a wistful memory. Other dishes such as the aragosto fra diavolo (lobster in a spicy wine marinara sauce) and the cannelloni con fegatini (with sauteed chicken livers, mushrooms, onions and peas) delight taste buds. We would mention the cioppino but we can't do so without weeping -- it's that beautiful. The Godfather is the pride of chef Isidoro Balistreri. Born in Sicily, he came to San Diego in the late '60s and opened his restaurant in 1974. Atmosphere here is traditional Italian trattoria, made extra nice with candlelight, crisp linens and fresh flowers. Plan a romantic evening around the prix-fixe Sicilian Kiss, a surf and turf dinner for two that includes dessert, cappuccino and a bottle of Dom Perignon.