Del Lusso: Great New Find In Bressi Ranch

I got an e-mail from Yelp the other day, listing new restaurants to try in North County.  The one that caught my eye was Del Lusso.  It's next door to Eureka on Innovation Way in Carlsbad.  Right near Bressi Ranch, but far away from the parking hassle and huge crowds.

Don't get me wrong.  The restaurant is bustling, and with the play area in front of Eureka, the restaurant is family friendly.  It's fresh and sparkling clean, with a brick wall behind the bar area, and a beautiful Italian pizza oven, visible for guests to see.  Chairs are super comfortable, which isn't always the case.

We were planning to go there for a 6pm dinner with our friends Ian and Carol, who were visiting from Scottsdale.  Ian is allergic to garlic, so I called the restaurant  early in the day to see if they could accomodate him.  The hostess ran and got the chef, who spent five minutes on the phone with me going through the entire menu and telling me what Ian could and could not eat.  I was hooked.  I knew I would like Del Lusso because the owners and staff want to make sure you have a great experience.

About 5:20pm I called the restaurant to see how long the wait would be at 6'oclock, as I was coming with 4 people, one of whom  was in a wheel chair.  The hostess said they don't take reservations, but they wanted to make sure we didn't have much of a wait, so she took my name.  We arrived at 6'oclock, and our table was waiting for us.  They held that table just for us, and we appreciated it so much.  Fabulous service at every level!

Not only was the service great, but the food was too.  We were seated, and in  less than two minutes, and our server was there to take drink orders, which appeared promptly at our table.  A few minutes later, Walter Wong, one of the owners, came over to introduce himself, welcome us, and give us a short summary of his background and and the kind of fresh, locally sourced food we could expect.  We were delighted to meet him.

Now, for the food.  Pizzas were fantastic.  They use some special flour imported from Italy, and all the toppings are fresh and local.  We had pancetta, tomato and olive.  Ian and Carol had a pizza with  spicy sausage with veggies.  We also ordered spaghetti carbonara and salad.  The salad was great with delicious ingredients, and great dressing.  We also tried the bread and dipping sauce which I loved.  Balsamic vinegar, oil and lots of garlic, served with hard, crusty bread, which our waiter told us is made in house.

All in all, you will want to try Del Lusso.  It's a great place for kids, too, as they have a special menu for them, including a mini pizza and drink for $7.  Be sure to meet Walter, owner and host.  I wish him well.