Dolce Ristorante, Charlotte

After childhood games of barefoot street soccer in the Sicilian town of Raddusa, Enzo Castiglione came home to Sicilian food crafted from his family’s traditional recipes. As an adult, he now serves the same cuisine at his Italian eatery, La Dolce Vita Ristorante. Named after one of his hometown’s coffee shops, the restaurant has earned praise in the La Jolla Village News for its authentic pastas, pizzas, and seafood, as well as its intimate dining room.

White lights wind their way around the trunks of potted trees, illuminating nearby plates of housemade gnocchi, grilled Black Angus ribeye steak, and pizzas topped with calamari, Italian sausage, or simple mozzarella and basil. To start, diners can whet their appetites with a caprese salad or bruschetta, rather than the traditional Italian starter of a closed pizza box to stare at longingly. To complement their meal’s flavors, diners can select a wine from the eatery’s vast list, which ranges from pinot grigio to chianti.