The Seafood, Steak and Chop House is now offering brunch from 10:00am – 2:00pm every Sunday. Come in to enjoy some of Vigilucci’s signature brunch items including Uova al Tartufo con Asparagi, two eggs sunny side up over fresh asparagus topped with butter and truffle sauce served with potatoes au gratin, fresh fruit and a toasted English Muffin, the 8oz New York Strip & Poached Eggs or the Capicolla Eggs Benedict. Click on the Seafood and Steakhouse Menu for a full list of Sunday brunch items you won’t want to miss!

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, September 24, 2007— The Vigilucci’s Restaurant Group today announced plans to open its seventh restaurant in late 2007. Adding to the company’s repertoire of fine Italian dining, Vigilucci’s Seafood, Steak & Chop House will be located in the heart of the La Jolla Village at 909 Prospect Street, formerly Cendio.

Vigilucci’s Seafood, Steak and Chop House will boast an elegant, yet casually upscale atmosphere where everyone is welcome. The lunch and dinner menu will serve the finest steaks, fresh seafood and pasta. Menu items will be prepared with an Italian flair, which will set the new restaurant apart from other fine steakhouses in the area. The menu will be comprised of over ten unique homemade pasta dishes, a risotto of the day, along with a multitude of fresh fish and seafood. It will also feature the highest grade cuts of beef, including Filet Minot and bone-in New York, as well as lamb, veal and pork chops. Entrées will start at $16. Lunch and Sunday brunch will also be served.

Restaurateur Roberto Vigilucci says, “Most people think of pasta when it comes to Italian food. In Italy, Italian food means much, much more. Our vision is to expand conceptions of Italian cuisine and offer our diners a menu filled will deliciously unique sophistication.”

In addition to fine Italian fare, patrons of the new Vigilucci’s Seafood, Steak and Chop House will enjoy a lively happy hour and ‘see and be seen’ bar environment where live music and DJs will be heard Thursday through Saturday after dinner service. The bar menu includes delectables such as oysters, crab cakes, bruchetta, truffle fries and clams on the half shell. Happy hour drinks will be served from 4 to 6 pm with complementary hor d’ouevres. Late night drink specials will be offered as guests enjoy the live sounds of Latin, blues, jazz and DJ music.

The 5,000 square foot facility includes a private dining room and outdoor patio seating for catering groups of all sizes and occasions.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our family of unique restaurants South and sharing our authentic Italian cuisine in the heart of La Jolla,” added Roberto.

About Vigilucci’s Restaurant Group:
Brought up on his mother's cooking while growing up in Milan and spending summers in his grandmother's Tuscan kitchen, Roberto Vigilucci knows quality Italian food. Sensing a need for classic Italian cuisine in North County San Diego, and determined to serve top-quality food with exacting standards of service, Roberto opened the highly successful Vigilucci's Trattoria in Encinitas in 1994.

Since then, Vigilucci’s has grown to include six more restaurants which have become some of North County's most popular dining spots, with their selections of unique pasta dishes, savory veal, chicken, steak and seafood along with award-winning wine lists. Today, the Vigilucci’s family includes Vigilucci’s Seafood, Steak & Chop House in La Jolla, Vigilucci’s Trattoria in Encinitas, Vigilucci’s Cucina and Vigilucci’s Seafood & Steakhouse in Carlsbad, Vigilucci’s Osteria in Oceanside, Vigilucci’s Ristorante & Pizzeria and Robbie’s in Leucadia and Vigilucci’s Catering.

There’s no doubt about it – his last name screams ‘Come-a-get-a-fine Italian food!’ Vigilucci’s Restaurant Group announces a new addition to its fine family of San Diego-based restaurants: Executive Chef Nicola Calamari. And, with the addition of a new, private courtyard to Vigilucci’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, San Diegans will enjoy both the flavors and ambience of Italy in their own backyard.

Calamari has brought his talent in creating authentic Italian flare to two of restaurateur Roberto Vigilucci’s popular restaurants -- Vigilucci’s Ristorante & Pizzeria and Robbie’s, located next to each other on North Highway 101 in Leucadia.

“We are proud to bring aboard a master of the culinary arts who not only understands, but is passionate about authentic Italian cooking,” Vigilucci said.

Born and raised in Lucca and Florence, Italy, Calamari took his first job at the age of 16, working in trattorias in Florence. Calamari came to the states in 1996, where he worked for a variety of chefs who showed him how to adapt his recipes to American cuisine. Like many native Italians, he first honed his skills from the greatest chefs he knew – his mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt – who showed him how to incorporate savory spices into delicious dishes. Additionally, he worked at Italy’s five-star Grand Hotel.

“When I arrived in the U.S., I realized that some of the spices I used were not available here,” Calamari said. “I quickly learned to adapt.”

A traditionalist when it comes to Italian cuisine, Calamari is not one to fuse, say, peanut butter with tomatoes and basil. Instead, he focuses on what he does best: Creating meals that tempt any palate. Calamari, who comes to Vigilucci’s from Il Fornaio in Del Mar, is already enjoying the challenge of preparing meals for two distinctly different restaurants. His goal is to add to the menus his personal recipes, always using only the freshest ingredients possible.

Prior to coming to San Diego, Calamari worked in Los Angeles’ most posh areas at restaurants like Chianti Cucina on Melrose, Prego Ristorante in Beverly Hills and Niki Blair in North Hollywood. Calamari also helped open I Cugini in Santa Monica.