The Buzz: Snaps from San Diego Magazine's Best Restaurants Kick-Off Party.

"Best Wheel of Fortune: Risotto in Parmigiano Reggiano at Bencotto. Chef Fabrizio lovingly serves a special version of his creamy risotto from a carved-out wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, scraping in flecks and flecks (and more flecks)."

"From stellar bechamel dressed lasagna ('bout time a non-red sauce version hit the scene) to tender meatballs yummy enough to abandon noodles altogether, chef Fabrizio Cavallini's edible homages to his homeland never fall flat."

"For one of the city's more decadent, melt-in-your-mouth experience, order the prosciutto di San Daniele from Bencotto... Savor with a glass of the lightly carbonated, low-alcohol Lambrusco "wine snack".

Rated Best Italian critic Candice Woo

"Its sleek, slate-colored environs are packed – you can only get an easy seat when Little Italy's streets are blocked off for a festa. And the regular menu tops out at $19 for both the Cioppino Bencotto and the grilled beef tagliata with arugula and sun-dried tomatoes."

"Bencotto's 90 possible carb and sauce combinations have earned the Little Italy newcomers instant success. 'I've never seen people go so crazy for fresh pasta,' says Milan-native di Pietro. 'But Americans love having choices, so our menu is meant to respect that.'"

"Voted Best Italian in SD: "The new kid in Little Italy is in a class by itself. No red-checked tablecloths here; the Milanese owners deliver contemporary, exciting Italian food with house-made ingredients in a swanky setting."

"Full and exhausted, I opt for sweet dreams instead, picturing the Bencotto kitchen staff tucking in the prosciutto slicer and singing it an Italian lullaby."

"Our reigning newer Italian favorite: Bencotto, located at The Q on W. Fir Street in Little Italy. The vibe is that of a modern Italian home kitchen; don't-miss dishes include those from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy like the gnocco fritto."

"Among the regional dishes from Emilia Romagna are tigella - crunchy flatbread rounds - and hollow fried puffs of dough called gnocco frito. They both make excellent vehicles for cured meats, including prosciutto di Parma, sliced paper-thin on a shiny cherry-red, hand-cranked meat slicer. I'm not into race cars, but this machine gets my engine going."

"Three little words: tortino di cavolfiore. Memorize this octet of savory syllables and recite them to the server at Bencotto, a truly fine new Italian restaurant in the heart of San Diego's bustling Little Italy."

"We'd hawk our offspring for the night's last order or gnocco fritto (warm, puffy, fried pasta dough), topped with cool slices of prociutto."