I have to admit that I got surprised big time tonight. I've been to La Calabria a few times before with family and they have always been good. Tonight they blew me away. I've only had two Italian restaurants blow me away before, tonight at La Calabria and another night at Cucina Urbana in San Diego..
I had the linguini with white clam sauce and my wife had the Pappadelle with mushroom sauce. Both were made to perfection. The pasta was al dente and homemade making such a difference. My clam sauce dish came with a ring of wonderfully sweat clams surrounding the top of the pasta. The chucks of garlic were large and perfect sized so not to overwhelm the dish. So many places get this wrong and smash up garlic and overpowering a dish but this was perfect.
The bread was rustic and hard crusted and served with a seasoned Olive OIl that had sun dried tomatoes and herbs. I used the last of it to sop up the clam sauce that escaped my pasta leaving only a slight indication my plate ever had food on it.
The service was great and the owners were both around to make sure everything was great.
My wife is a first generation Italian and between her and the family, I have always been kept well satisfied with homemade Italian food. They hold this place in very high regard and now I fully understand why. They are the ultimate food critics particularly when it comes to Italian and La Calabria gets the nod every time. .
A tip you may want to consider is to order Gaetano Sambuca with a side of espresso to end the evening. The Sambuca is a lower-proof version and has a perfect mellow flavor to it.