Sambuca   

You can tell the best Italian places by whether you smell their sauce when you walk in the door. Flaring skillets in Sambuca's exposition kitchen fill the dining room with the most heavenly scents. Creamy table linens, candles and warm, red wood tones give the cozy space a sultry, romantic ambiance. Italian fare is treated with the respect due classic cuisine, while the chef routinely explores beyond the typical dishes found in most restaurants. Sambuca, a licorice-tinged cordial, is tossed with shrimp, tomatoes, zucchini and lime-garlic sauce in the restaurant's namesake appetizer. Incorporating a fish popular in Pacific Rim cuisine, mahi mahi is sauteed in pesto and vegetables and served over linguini. Brandy cherry-roasted chicken over lemon risotto is a bevy of flavors worthy of the gourmand neighborhood of Hillcrest. For a luscious final course, the chocolate pie with toffee and Kahlua layers matches well with a snifter of (what else) Sambuca.