AtributetoKensington’s‘playcaves’
Posted:January20th,2017
ByFrankSabatiniJr.
ThestorybehindTheHavenPizzeria’snameisastrangeone.
Forthoseunfamiliarwiththeexistenceofamazeofcavesresidingsome70feet
beneathanearbyhome,avisittotherestaurant’sgender-neutralrestroomprovidesa
couplephotosofthetunnelsthatonceattractedneighborhoodkidsandtheirelders
withpingpongtables,aslideconnectingonecaveroomtoanother,andarefrigerator
stockedwithsodas.
Theyweredugstartingintheearly1940sbythen-residentDr.GlennHavens,aphysicist
whoapparentlybecamecarriedawaywhenbuildingabarbecuepitinthesoft,sandy
soilofhisproperty.Ofseveralaccountswrittenabouttheelaboratenetworkoftunnels,
whererarefossilswereeventuallyfound,onewaspublishedJan.17,2014inSanDiego
UptownNews(tinyurl.com/zbvl4x2).
RestaurateursLaurenPasseroandKateGrimeswereintriguedbythecaveswhenfirst
readingabouttheminalocalhistorybookshortlybeforeopeningTheHavenablock
awayfromKensingtonCafé,whichtheyownaswell.
“Ihadmetthemanwhocurrentlylivesinthehouse,andtheroomsarestillunder
there,”saysPassero.“It’sabizarrestorythatwedecidedtoreferencewhennamingThe
Haven,asaplacethatbringseveryonetogetherjustasthosecavesdidyearsago.”
Yetasidefromtwoeye-catchingpanelsofframedmossonawall,therestauranthardly
sendsyoudownintosomespooky,netherworld.
Theatmosphereisbrightand
modern,accentedcheerfullyby
colorful,geometricwoodtiles
stretchingacrossanoppositewall.
Booths,banquettesandregular
tablesoccupythecozydining
room,whichwasfilledtocapacity
onthisrainyevening.
There’salsoaquaintbarfeaturing
draftandbottledcraftbeeraswell
asreasonablypricedwinesthat
includeMeliniChianti,oneofthe
Thehousesaladwithgorgonzoladressing
fruitiestbest-structuredTuscan
ChiantisI’vesippedinawhile.
Ivisitedwithabigfanoftheplacewhoinsistedwesharethelargehousesaladwith
gorgonzoladressing.Indeed,shesteeredmewithoutregrettothissimplemedleyof
mixedgreens,tomatoes,redonionsandhouse-madecroutons,alltossedevenlyin
dressingthatcouldessentiallymakegardenweedstasteappealingwithitsadditionof
heavycreamandchives.
Weproceededtomarinatedshrimp
skewersand“Dave’smeatballs”as
appetizers.
ThesweetMexicanwhiteshrimp—
interspersedbycherrytomatoesand
servedinapondofbalsamic—were
beautifullycookedandsported
sensationalflavorfrompaprika,
cayennepepper,garlicandparsley.
Themeatballs,too,werefinely
seasoned,buttheyneededextended
simmeringintheredsauce.Named
Paprikaseasonedshrimpskewers
afteranesteemedpatron,theywere overlyfirmformyliking.
Pizzasservedin9-or14-inchsizesdominatethemenu.Therearealsoseveralpasta
dishesforthechoosing,madewitheitherpenneorspaghetti.
ThepizzadoughismadeonsiteandthepastaissourcedfreshfromAssenti’sinLittle
Italy.
Forourpie,weskippedoveranumberof“Havencreations”inanattempttoreplicate
whatwebelieveisoneofthetastiestpizzasintown—the“artichokespecial”atEast
CoastPizzainHillcrest.
FromTheHaven’screate-your-own
category,wefoundexactlythe
ingredientsneeded:pestoandred
sauces;mozzarella,ricotta,and
choppedartichokes.
Perfecto!Thecombinedtoppings
tastedonpoint—herby,bright
andcreamy,andwithteasing
acidityfromrandomplopsofthe
tomatosauce.Itsthincrust,
however,didn’tmeasureuptothe
alluring,delicatestructureofEast
Customizedpizzawithartichokes
Coast’s.Thoughnotbad,itwas
chewieranddrierincomparison.
WhenpokingintoTheHavenshortlyafteritopenednearlyfouryearsago,Itookan
immediatelikingtothesauce-lessCortezpizzafeaturingmozzarella,Gorgonzola,diced
tomatoes,arugula,andcandiedbacon,whichappearsonseveralothersignaturepies.
Richandsweet,theconstructisstillavailableinitshigh-calorieglory.
LemonshrimpAlfredo
Fromthepastacategory,weadoredthelemonfactorpermeatinganorderofspaghetti
Alfredowithshrimp.Thefreshcitrusaddedquasi-lightness,atleastpsychologically,to
whatisnormallyaheavyintakeofcheese,creamandbutterfromthesauce.Despite
findingonlyfourshrimpscatteredthroughoutthesegenerousswirlsoffreshnoodles,I’d
orderthedishagainforitsfeel-goodtextureandgracefulflavor.
Dinnerconcludedwithtiramisu,adessertIseldom
cravethoughpreferinspringysquare-cutpieces
whenIdo.Thiswasubiquitouslydeconstructed,
layeredinaglassjarwithladyfingers(dippedin
espressoandKahlua),mascarponecheese,and
chocolateshavings.Nexttimeit’llbethechocolate
pannacotta.
PasseroandGrimes,whoalsoownDelSurMexican
CantinainSouthPark,recentlyintroducedseveral
sandwichestoTheHaven’slunchmenu.Theyinclude
spicyeggplant,meatball,andvegetarian,allserved
onhouse-maderolls.Inaddition,happyhourisheld
from4to6p.m.,MondaythroughFriday,whenbeer,
wineandmostmenuitemsare$2offtheirregular
prices.
—FrankSabatiniJr.istheauthorof“SecretSanDiego”(ECWPress),andbeganhislocal
writingcareermorethantwodecadesagoasastafferfortheformerSanDiegoTribune.
[email protected].