Prepkitchen Little Italy opened a few months ago and has been on my to-do list. I’ve had good dining experiences at sister restaurant Whisknladle and heard good things about Prepkitchen La Jolla.
Prepkitchen Little Italy is the third Prepkitchen restaurant in the Whisknladle/Prepkitchen family (though the Del Mar location is not currently operating due to a fire). Located upstairs, the restaurant has a great view of Little Italy.
We started with some cocktails. I’ve always enjoyed the cocktail selection at Whisknladle.
Honey Cucumber Mimosa and Old Fashioned
Cutting Board
House Cured Meats, Cheese & Accompaniments
What is on the cutting board always varies but I’ve always enjoyed the Whisknladle Cutting Boards. I didn’t really like the selection of meats on the plate we had this night at PK, though I was really happy to see the dried raisins. The grapes are dried with the stems and are so plump and juicy.
Scallop Crudo
Kumquat, Fennel, Celery, Tarragon & Sea Salt Crackers
This was quite good, though I wish there was a little more of it. The kumquat added a nice acidity to the sauce.
Yellowtail tartare
This was a special of the night, and also one of our favorites. The tartare was very fresh.
Bacon topped flatbread
I really enjoyed the flatbread at Whisknladle, but I didn’t like the one at PK as much. I found the dough to be too thin, almost cracker like. I prefer my dough to be thin but still maintain some chew. And even though I enjoy bacon, I didn’t find these toppings to be particularly enticing.
Stuffed Braised Squid
Puttanesca, Cotechino & Breadcrumb Salsa
Local Mussels & Frites
White Wine, Garlic & Aioli
This was another favorite of the night. The mussels were fresh and not overly chewy like frozen mussels are,. The white wine sauce was delicious for dipping. We dipped our bread and our fries.
I didn’t particularly like the fries as they didn’t have enough batter and tasted like In n Out fries.
You may have noticed we only ordered appetizers and no main courses. We had a really early reservation and no one was particularly hungry due to a lot of eating earlier in the day. We opted to skip dessert so we could get Pappalecco gelato. Our server gave us complimentary dessert coupons for another visit.
Overall we had a mixed experience. While we enjoyed most of the food, nothing really stood out and my friends trying PK for the first time didn’t seem like they would likely come back. While our service was pretty attentive, it also didn’t live up to the outstanding service we’ve always received at Whisknladle. I think next time I’ll stick to dining at Whisknladle.
You can read my previous visits of Whisknladle here and here.
Prepkitchen Little Italy
1660 India Street
(619) 398-8383 (p)
oh no! If you try it out again, go for happy hour (but early b/c it gets really packed) and get the sangria and some tapas. I have been searching for good Tapas restaurants all over San Diego and was so hesitant to try any, but the bacon wrapped dates and olive tapas were yummy! Plus I find the dinner menu to be actually quite pricey, even though I definitely pay full price for the cheese board and burger. So, the happy hour is the best option, plus the sangria is incredible!!! Also, have you tried the cured meats at Lion’s Share?? I liked it more than Prep Kitchen’s!
Thanks for the tip. I will try happy hour next time. No I haven’t tried Lion’s Share. I will need to check it out now!
I could use a coupon to PrepKitchen..been dying to try it out
I sent you an email =)