Aurora Trattoria - San Diego

Of course, the food is the most critical aspect. The bread served before the meal might be the best I’ve ever had. It was incredibly fresh and accompanied by hummus, which made it even better. We devoured the bread quickly and ended up going through several baskets. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the lamb dish I wanted, so I opted for the wild boar pasta instead (it was game and truffle week – quite an adventure!). While the wild boar pasta was very good, the meat alone was a bit too salty without the pasta. I also tried some lobster ravioli, which didn’t meet my expectations at first, but it grew on me after a while. The restaurant features a number of extravagant dishes, although they're quite pricey, such as the lobster pot cakes. The highlight of the meal, and the reason it was recommended to me, was the dessert. I had a molten chocolate soufflé that came with a blueberry purée and a raspberry sauce on the side. It was delightful, with a lovely hint of alcohol in both the soufflé and the sauce. The tiramisu was also very tasty; my friend thought it was amazing. It’s too bad we couldn’t order more desserts since they have a tempting selection. In summary, here’s my rating: Bread – 5 stars Entrée – 4 stars Dessert – 5 stars

We made reservations for a large group of out-of-town guests, but the staff did not inform us about the underground parking. As a result, we weren't allowed to be seated or served any drinks or appetizers until everyone in our party had arrived—half of whom were still searching for parking around La Jolla. Once everyone finally made it and was seated, as we were looking over the menus, the waitress approached us and said something I've never encountered in a restaurant before: she informed us that we needed to clear our table by a certain time because they had another reservation. In disbelief, we considered leaving immediately, but since they had our credit card on file for the reservation, we knew they would likely charge us. Since that experience, we have opted to take our guests to other restaurants.