Chef Brad Wise has unveiled a new fall menu at Cardellino – Trust Restaurant Group’s unabashedly Italian-American restaurant in Mission Hills – drawing inspiration from seasonal fall ingredients, such as butternut squash, sage, and figs.
Focused on elevating Cardellino’s culinary program to align the offerings with TRG’s namesake flagship restaurant TRUST, the new dishes marry the flavors and techniques fans love about Chef Brad and the hospitality collective overall.
Art on your plate
New pastas are all made in-house, under the direction of TRG’s Corporate Chef Mark Schmitt. His decade of experience behind the line at CUCINA Urbana and others means he’s a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen – his pasta is closer to art than food. The cavatelli, a thick noodle shape that eats more like a dumpling, boasts a robust texture that stands up to strong seasonal ingredients and lends itself to autumn, even if we’re in San Diego. And the hand-cut triangoli, cooked fresh, takes Cardellino to new heights.
These dishes are warm and comforting while highlighting the elevated techniques that make each unique to Chef Wise and the TRG group. A must-try fall menu at Cardellino include:
Dinner:
Antipasti: whole roasted cauliflower shallot sumac oil, pine nut dukkah, lemon yogurt, herbs
Pizza al Forno
Mission fig: pickled onion, boursin cheese, soft herbs, fig balsamic, candied walnuts.
Delicata squash: panna, poached quince, fontina, chili flake, sage, brown butter
Pasta
Butternut squash triangoli: brown butter, sage, farmers cheese, salted pepita, pickled squash
Merguez sausage cavatelli: fennel, tomato, pecorino, soft herbs, burrata, evoo
Herbed pappardelle: braised rabbit & piquillo pepper ragout, castelvetrano olives, rosemary garlic breadcrumbs
Brunch
Ultimate cinnamon roll: pecan ice cream, vanilla bean glaze, currants
Simple breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon or sausage, potatoes, rustic sourdough toast
Prosciutto hash: sunnyside egg, pickled peppers, potatoes, calabrian aioli, arugula, pesto
Khachapuri: fontina, basil pesto, hen egg, bacon, roasted mushroom, marinara sauce
Cocktails
Venice: vodka, cold brew, mint, coconut
Cantalupo: gin, lime, cantaloupe, mint, salt
Cardellino Hours
Happy Hour: Wednesday – Sunday 4PM – 6PM
Dinner: Wednesday – Sunday 5PM – 9PM
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday 9AM – 2:30PM
See you there, San Diego!
