Il Fornaio in Coronado

Being of direct Italian lineage (via Philadelphia!), Terri can sniff out the best Italian restaurant in whatever town we happen to find ourselves in! Actually, Terri had eaten at this particular restaurant several times and was excited about introducing this gem to Adam and I. Il Fornaio started off with restaurants and bakeries in California in the 1980s and has since expanded to other cities across the U.S. This location on Coronado has quite the view. It sits next to the San Diego-Coronado ferry and overlooks the bay. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the evening breeze while we dined.

Before I launch into descriptions of the food, let me set the dinner conversation scene for you. Diners present at our table: Terri who is in charge of the whole of dining services within the USOC and who has 20+ years of experience in dining services. Adam who is a recent addition to our food and nutrition team at the USOC comes to us with credentials and experience in both the culinary and clinical nutrition worlds. Then there's yours truly- the one on a never-ending quest to keep her tastebuds curious and satisfied all at the same time! With these three professional foodies at the table, you can imagine what the topic of conversation was! Terri joked at the end of dinner that all we had talked about was food- meals we have already eaten and meals we longed to eat!

I'll only post one picture this time. The pic is of the appetizer. Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe (perfect blend of sweet and salty), grilled artichoke, crostinni, grilled peppers, olives and fresh tomato with mozzarella cheese and basil. We all had different entrees, each was quite tasty. The next night, Adam and I sought out the fish house of Coronado for dinner. I'm sure everyone on Coronado knows exactly where it is, but we felt like we had stumbled upon a tasty island secret! Oh, the potential of places to be dined once I move out there makes me even more anxious to pack up and go!