San Diego Restaurant Week: Cori Pastificio Trattoria shares Italian traditions in North Park

By Anny H. Ruth | April 5, 2022

In December, 2-year-old Cori Trattoria Pastificio became one of just 18 trattoria-bistros outside of Italy to win the highest honor in Gambero Rosso‘s annual ranking of the best Italian restaurants in the world.

That followed a Gambero Rosso honor last spring in the “New Opening of the Year” category, and it complements chef-owner Accursio Lota’s most prestigious career victory: champion of the 2017 Barilla World Pasta Competition in Parma.

Accursio Lota, 38, spent much of his early career cooking at five-star resorts in Sicily and California, followed by a six-year stint at the elegant Solare Ristorante at Liberty Station. But when he and his wife, Corinne Goria, chose to open their own place in 2020, they decided on a trattoria, a small, casual neighborhood restaurant that’s just 10 blocks from the North Park home they share with their sons Alessandro, 8, and Lorenzo, 5.

Cori’s name is a tribute to Corinne, a San Diego native who is a writer, editor and attorney who teaches international law. Cori also means “heart” in Lota’s native Sicilian dialect. Their restaurant, he says, serves dishes from his heart that blend Sicilian traditions with ingredients sourced almost exclusively from Southern California and Baja. The only Italian imports are a few cheeses, the ancient-grain flour he uses for his house-made pastas, and the wines procured from small regional winemakers.

For this SDRW Edition, Cori will feature a choice of their best dishes from the 2021/22 menu. Don’t miss out on your chance for a 3 course menu for $40.

Course 1:

• Yellow Tail, Marinated Black Olives, Capers, Cantaloupe Infusion
• Nonna’s Braised Beef and Veal Meatballs, Tomato Sauce, And Pecorino Sardo
• Sicilian Crispy Rice Balls Filled with Cremini Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola and Truffle Oil 

Course 2:

• Sicilian Style Eggplant Parmigiana, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmigiano, Fresh Basil
• Buckwheat Pappardelle, Sautéed with Chef Mushrooms Selection, Pecorino and Fresh Herbs
• Local Swordfish, Rapini, Potato Timbale, Orange Reduction, Cured Olives Infusions 
• Saffron Infused Fettuccine, Fennel Pork Sausage, Tomatoes, Aged Ricotta Salata, Orange

Course 3:

• Piedmont Hazelnut Tiramisu,,Mascarpone Mousse, Lady Finger, Espresso, Amaretto
• Local Lemon Mousse, Apricots Marmellata, Corn Croccante, Strawberry

See full menu at: www.Coripasta.com