DiscoverSD: San Diego’s Newest Crop of Culinary Hot Spots
James Beard Award nominee, Addison's Chef William Bradley
As we prepare our wardrobes and whereabouts for the advent of spring, slimming down and toning up may be on our minds, but I have bad news: Your swimsuit-ready transformation is not going to be easy.
Don’t take it personally; the difficulty doesn’t stem from your inability to maintain a fitness schedule, but rather from the San Diego dining scene introducing a platter of irresistible new restaurants. Can elastic-band pants please be the new pool party fashion trend?
Little Italy’s new kid on the block mixes urban style with Italian flavor. A Del Mar resort is overwhelmed with accolades. One of Shelter Island’s most stunning waterfront restaurants announces a multi-million dollar renovation. Every college town’s signature pizza spot has (finally!) arrived in Pacific Beach. A new bar, with food, is about to open doors, and intends to give every stuck-up venue a slap in the face in the process. And now, a rehab-worthy confession: Hi, our name is San Diego, and we’re addicted to burger joints.
From stylish entrances by Bencotto Italian Kitchen and The Smoking Goat to Woodstock’s splash at the beach, and the modern resurgence of tiki culture at Bali Hai Restaurant, discover the latest Insider update on what’s new in San Diego dining.
Rancho Santa Fe lifestyle just got that much sweeter. North County foodies can’t get enough of the new Dolce Pane E Vino wine bar and restaurant, which celebrated a soft opening in RSF’s Del Rayo Center in late 2009, and has since become a neighborhood favorite. Dolce serves handmade small plates of Italian favorites for lunch and dinner, including wood-fired pane rusticos and Panini sandwiches, paired with a tempting wine list designed by Sommelier Michael Melone. Chef Chris O’Donnell is a firm believer in farm-to-table traditions, and makes daily trips to local farms to ensure the freshest ingredients every day. For those on the go, the attached Dolce Formaggeria wraps up signature small plates and bottles of wine for convenient quick stops.
Homemade pasta at Bencotto
“Bencotto” refers to a meal done well, or perfectly cooked. Bencotto Italian Kitchen’s industrial space in Little Italy’s “Q” building is definitely not well done; in fact, this raw, urban restaurant is designed just right. Bencotto serves hand -made “home style” dishes in an environment that reflects who they are: a young generation of Italians who celebrate their culinary heritage, presenting it in an inviting kitchen-style restaurant. When dining at Bencotto, you may recognize Guido Nistri and Valentina Di Pieto – the couple in charge – who opened Caffe Bella Italia in Pacific Beach before embarking on new projects across the globe, and returning home to San Diego to breathe new life onto India Street in January 2010. Read more.
North Park’s new urban refuge is The Smoking Goat, a French eatery designed by Bells & Whistles that graced the local dining scene in late February 2010. This high-demand design trio made up of Barbara Rourke, Jason St. John and Jason Lane is most well known for the interior style at Starlite Lounge and Disconnected Salon. Head to 30th in North Park to feast on the new design paired with such French-inspired menu items as Burger on Brioche, Steak au Poivre, and Homemade Vegetarian Lasagna.
A college town without a Woodstock’s Pizza is like a San Diego pool party without greased-up swimsuit-clad locals. As of late February, 2010, Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach is now the proud home of our county’s newest Woodstock’s location, and it just feels so right. Frosted Cinnabread, prepare to be destroyed by late night PB party-goers every night of the week. Popular Woodstock’s menu items include the Wildebread appetizer, Firebird and All Meat Orgy pizzas, and of course the multi-flavor Cinnabread desserts. Meet your new flavor: PB Point Classic Pizza with pepperoni, sausage, black olives, shrooms, onions and extra cheese. Woodstock’s Pizza has locations in all major California college towns, including Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Davis and Chico. However, this state-wide chain has zero corporate feel, as it’s a family-run company with hyper-local roots in college communities.
As if we weren’t already excited enough about the newest East Village Wine Steals, located just steps off the field at PETCO Park, with this new spring time hot spot comes the next door Proper Gastro Pub. It’s a match made in heaven; Wine Steals has found its soul mate. Executive Chef Sean Magee’s delectable small plates menu features such items as Pan Roasted Pork Loin with mushrooms and brussel sprouts, and Butternut Squash Ravioli served with amaretto butter, roasted chestnut and nutmeg crème fraîche.
Quality Social
Attention all pretentious bars and clubs: Quality Social, a dive-bar reinvented with style and class, is about to open doors on March 16, 2010 and requests that you kindly check your attitude at the door.
Sneak Peek: An urban live art showcase is staged next to a former glass wine cellar now filled with the cheapest of cheap liquor bottles. Blue-collar grub, including wings, hot dogs and all the fixings, is hand-crafted in-house by highly praised Executive Chef Jared Van Camp. Bold cocktails named “The Little Blue Pill” and “The Douche Bag” will be served straight-up next to tall cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. As boys indulge at the bar, girls can escape to the posh powder room’s secret champagne lounge. Read more.
From the owners of Vagabond comes South Park’s newest dining destination: Café Madeleine – a French creperie with a menu envisioned by Patrick Ponsaty of Mistral at Loews Coronado, and formerly of BernardO. This French café will serve a wide selection of sweet and savory crepes as well as paninis, desserts, high-end coffee and tea, and an intriguing crepe salad I can’t wait to try. Café Madeleine in South Park is slated to open late March 2010.
Isabel Cruz’s new restaurant Barrio Star is a vibrant and energetic Mexican restaurant located on 5th and Nutmeg in Banker’s Hill. Expect authentic Mexican food (including tamales), healthy options, and local artist renderings tattooed across the walls. Isabel Cruz’s cuisine is most well known by locals for Isabel’s Cantina, located just blocks from the waves in Pacific Beach. Barrio Star is aiming for an opening in late March 2010.
Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island is undergoing a $4 million transformation, boasting a contemporary redesign by Graham Downes, and a reinvented Pacific Rim menu by new chef Chris Powell, formerly of Rancho Valencia Resort. When opened in 1953, Bali Hai Restaurant was a paragon of mid-century American tiki culture. The new Bali Hai, slated to re-open in April 2010, will offer a stylish, modern take on 21st century island lifestyle.
Serious Burger Addiction: From Point Loma to La Jolla, San Diego is being attacked by a serious burger fixation, and that’s one dining trend we embrace with open arms. Seemingly riding on the coattails of Burger Lounge’s incredible success and expansion throughout 2009 are three new burger joints coming to town. Smash Burger is launching its first San Diego location in La Jolla in March 2010. Five Guys Burgers & Fries is opening a second San Diego location in Liberty Station, with no available set opening date. Matt Spencer – of Firehouse, Syrah Wine Parlor and more – will release his newest vision Analog Music and Burger Bar in summer 2010.
Grand Spotlight: Addison, The Grand Del Mar’s award-winning restaurant, continues to attract acclamation this year. Chef William Bradley was nominated as a James Beard Award semifinalist. Angelo Ingrati, most recently with Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, has joined Addison’s sommelier staff. The Grand Del Mar achieves national recognition for Addison’s world-class wine program, including winning the Wine Spectator’s coveted “Grand Award.”
Still hungry? Find out what else you’re missing out on: New in Dining – Toast, Searsucker, The Big Easy.
Discover more of the best San Diego restaurants tips and trends.
