One of Pacific Beach’s most authentic Italian restaurants, Oltre Mare, allows diners to experience the atmosphere of a true Italian “trattoria,” where the food is made with all the love and passion of a real Italian.
It began 11 years ago, when Sara Pedrazzini and her husband, Christian Erbisti, traveled from their home in Italy to visit her brother in Pacific Beach.
Pedrazzini said her sibling was looking for a change, and offered to sell the couple his restaurant, Alta Marea.
“Ten years later, we’re still here,” Pedrazzini said. The pair accepted his offer, and moved to PB from their home in Milano in northern Italy.
Now named Oltre Mare, she said they are known for making their own bread, pasta and desserts; while Erbisti’s unique dishes can usually be found on the menu board each night.
A variety of antipasti (starters), primo (first course), secondo (second course) and dolce (desserts) can be found on the menu.
Despite the changes they’ve made, the couple said the restaurant remains small, cozy and different from other Italian options in the area.
After the first three years, they changed the name from Alta Marea — Italian for “high tide” — to Oltre Mare, Italian for “beyond the sea,” to reflect the wider menu choices.
Sara Pedrazzini and her husband, Christian Erbisti, owners of Oltre Mare Italian Restaurant. (Courtesy of Sara Pedrazzini)
“My husband likes to cook fish and seafood dishes, but we wanted something to stand out, like his wild boar Bolognese,” she said.
One of the most unique features of Oltre Mare is that main chef Erbisti “cooks whatever he likes,” she said.
Erbist’s uncle owned a restaurant, where he not only helped out in the summer, but grew up “cooking for everyone in his family,” she said.
Her husband still takes care of the grocery shopping, as “he wants to see what he’s buying,” and goes to the shops every day to make sure his purchases are fresh.
Pedrazzini has a degree in mathematics, but traded her job in network security to become the restaurant’s dessert maker.
She said after being in Italy for 40 years, her biggest adjustment was learning to work nights.
“In the beginning, our boys were 4 and 7, and we were here alone. So for a couple of years when they were little, they would come in with us every night,” she said.
While their children have grown up with the restaurant as part of their lives, so have many of Oltre Mare’s customers.
Meeting new people and seeing familiar faces is one of the couple’s favorite aspects of the business.
“It’s been nice, because we’ve known many of our customers and their families for 10 years,” Pedrazzini said. “We have a mix of the younger crowd that comes to celebrate birthdays, older couples that don’t want to cook at home and neighborhood families that we’ve watched grow up.”
Local hotels also tell their guests about the restaurant, she said.
“It’s all word of mouth, because our food is good,” she added.
Burrata, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and oregano complete this dish at Oltre Mare. (Courtesy of Sara Pedrazzini)
The spaghetti alla pescatoa is homemade spaghetti served with manila clams, mussels, shrimp and squid, while spaghetti allergy vongole is homemade pasta with clams, parsley and garlic.
Pedrazzini advises customers to be patient, as they take their time to ensure the dishes are cooked correctly.
For example, the risotto alla pescatora for two — rice served with the same ingredients as the spaghetti dish — takes a minimum of 45 minutes to prepare.
Secondi dishes include pesce alla griglia, or the fish of the day served with salad and grape tomatoes, while the peasce al forno is the fish of the day baked and served with potatoes, olives and spices. Both dishes require a 40-minute prep time.
Depending on what he wants to cook and what he finds, Erbisti might make pasta dishes with lamb, duck, lobster or crab.
Mussels are usually offered — when they find mussels up to their standards, she said.
A variety of pizza choices are available, all with fresh toppings.
A variety of desserts are offered at Oltre Mare Italian Restaurant, all made by owner Sara Pedrazzini. (Courtesy of Sara Pedrazzini)
Pedrazzini’s desserts round out the menu options.
Through the years, they’ve managed to change nearly everything about the restaurant, although they have taken care to “change it slowly,” she said.
“It was pick up and delivery, but now it’s indoor dining. There was an outdoor area, but now it’s all inside, and the inside has been changed and remodeled,” Pedrazzini said.
The restaurant seats about 45, and staff — including Pedrazzini and her husband — totals five.
One big change the couple made took place five years ago, when they opened Pastiamo, 841 Turquoise Street in Pacific Beach.
Pedrazzini describes the eatery as “Italian fast food.”
“It’s very flexible; you can buy just the pasta or the pasta with sauce. You can take it home and cook it or buy it ready to eat,” she said.
Sauces for Pastiamo are made in-house at the restaurant, while the homemade pastas are made with semolina flour.
Authentic, unique Italian food can be found at the unassuming Oltre Mare Italian Restaurant at 4286 Cass Street in Pacific Beach. (Courtesy of Sara Pedrazzini)
They are planning to open a second location in Hillcrest.
Although there are challenges in the industry — especially since the pandemic — they say they weren’t as affected as some of the bigger establishments in the area.
“Being small with a small menu, we can cook whatever we like and keep it real. Our expenses are on a different level than the big restaurants, and because we work in the restaurant a lot, we know our expenses,” she said.
For the future, they plan to continue their slow but steady growth.
“We take pride in being creative and trying to keep our Italian restaurant a little different from the others. We know our food is good and our customers like it; my hope is that they like us, too,” Pedrazzini said.
Find the recipe for Oltre Mare’s Focaccia genovese below.
Want to visit?
Oltre Mare
Address: 4286 Cass Street, Pacific Beach
Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.
Phone: 858-272-7247
Website: oltremaresd.com
Good to know: Online orders, pickup and delivery available.
Pastiamo
Address: 841 Turquoise Street, Pacific Beach
Phone: 858-255-8444
Website: pastiamosd.com
Hours: noon to 9 p.m. daily
Good to know: Pickup and delivery available.
Oltre Mare’s Focaccia genovese. Find the recipe at PBMonthly.net. (Courtesy of Sara Pedrazzini)
Recipe from Oltre Mare
“This recipe is special, because we used to make it at home every night and we’re very fond of it.” — Sara Pedrazzini and Christian Erbisti
Focaccia genovese
Ingredients:
• 0.7 lb. wheat flour
• 7 oz. water
• 0.7 oz. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 0.7 oz of yeast (0.35 oz if using dry yeast)
Directions:
1 – Mix water, oil, salt and sugar, and then mix it with flour.
2 – Add yeast (if using fresh, melt it with some of the water first), make a ball of dough, put it on an oiled pan and let it rest for a couple of hours.
3 – When doubled in size, spread it on the pan to fill the pan, and let it grow for a few more hours.
4 – Always cover the dough with film to avoid it getting too dry.
5 – Make holes in the dough with your fingers, spread some sea salt on top and spray with water and extra virgin olive oil.
6 – Cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 450 degrees F. Don’t cook too long or it will get dry.
7 – When it turns golden, it’s ready.
Courtesy of Sara Pedrazzini and Christian Erbisti