252 replies to this topic

[jenc]

Hi everyone! Dropping in from the Toronto, Canada boards to see what's up in San Diego. Will be there next week for the yearly nerdfest of comic-con.

I'll be there with my studio, pimping our stuff. (Let me know if you're going! Stop by and say hi!) I refuse to eat badly every day I'm there. I've apparantly covered fine dining, (Molly/Chive/Modus - I'll eat on my own if I have to!), but only found one quick/fast/near-the-con spot with Tin Fish.

Aside from quickie eateries, I'm looking at later dinners, for about 10 people. We're staying up at 7th and Ash and car-less and welcome reccommendations. That way I can pre-program everything into my phone and can call the day of to make reservations. I hate the crush after the convention closes for the day. We're all tired and every resto is always jammed.

[Toliver]

Hi everyone! Dropping in from the Toronto, Canada boards to see what's up in San Diego. Will be there next week for the yearly nerdfest of comic-con.

I'll be there with my studio, pimping our stuff. (Let me know if you're going! Stop by and say hi!) I refuse to eat badly every day I'm there. I've apparantly covered fine dining, (Molly/Chive/Modus - I'll eat on my own if I have to!), but only found one quick/fast/near-the-con spot with Tin Fish.

Aside from quickie eateries, I'm looking at later dinners, for about 10 people. We're staying up at 7th and Ash and car-less and welcome reccommendations. That way I can pre-program everything into my phone and can call the day of to make reservations. I hate the crush after the convention closes for the day. We're all tired and every resto is always jammed.

I am sure others will weigh in with suggestions...
You may find better options nearer the Convention Center than you will near your hotel. The Gaslamp District, across the street and closer to the west end of the Convention Center, has oodles of restaurants and bars, ranging from fine dining to casual.
That being said, Google Maps has some options for you. Go to the Maps section on Google.com and enter "restaurant near 7th & Ash, San Diego, CA" and click on "Search Maps". On the left side of the screen there will be a list of dining options near that location with tabs on the map showing the actual locations. Don't see anything good on the first page? Click on the "Next" button at the bottom of the list for page after page of options in that area. Sure, some won't be that close or some may not be the best choice (e.g., Jack-in-the-Box) but at least you will know what's in your area.
You can also narrow your search by replacing "restaurant" with the specific cuisine you're interested in and see if you get any hits.

[jenc]

awesome, I'll try that. All hail the benevolent Google! I love Google, but am afeared by the vast store of information they hold... but that's another thing all together.

[Kouign Aman]

And when you have the geographical info, you can ask here if any of us have opinions on the options. Happy food!

[kalypso]

I've (unfortunately) known this was coming for a couple of months, that it was just a matter of time until all the pieces fell into place...

Asia Vous in Escondido has finally closed for good. . This was some of the best and most interesting food in San Diego County but as they say in the real estate business, location, location, location. Escondido doesn't have the client base to support the kind of restaurant Asia Vous wanted to be, and with the horrid weekday traffic and construction on the I-15 North few in SD were willing to make the drive for dinner.

Hopefully, Riko will find a gig cooking locally, it would be our loss if he doesn't.

[ibjack]

I've (unfortunately) known this was coming for a couple of months, that it was just a matter of time until all the pieces fell into place...

Asia Vous in Escondido has finally closed for good.   .  This was some of the best and most interesting food in San Diego County but as they say in the real estate business, location, location, location. Escondido doesn't have the client base to support the kind of restaurant Asia Vous wanted to be, and with the horrid weekday traffic and construction on the I-15 North few in SD were willing to make the drive for dinner


Hopefully, Riko will find a gig cooking locally, it would be our loss if he doesn't.

This is unfortunate. Riko is a good friend of mine and I know how much he put into this business. I hope he stays in SD.

Edited by ibjack, 04 August 2007 - 08:55 AM.

[Honkman]

I've (unfortunately) known this was coming for a couple of months, that it was just a matter of time until all the pieces fell into place...

Asia Vous in Escondido has finally closed for good.   .  This was some of the best and most interesting food in San Diego County but as they say in the real estate business, location, location, location. Escondido doesn't have the client base to support the kind of restaurant Asia Vous wanted to be, and with the horrid weekday traffic and construction on the I-15 North few in SD were willing to make the drive for dinner


Hopefully, Riko will find a gig cooking locally, it would be our loss if he doesn't.

This is unfortunate. Riko is a good friend of mine and I know how much he put into this business. I hope he stays in SD.

Riko will open a restaurant in Kapalua, Maui.

[Kouign Aman]

Has anyone else here eaten at the Wine Sellar and Brasserie (sp?) on Mira Mesa?

Somehow I never think to recommend it when people ask, but the times I've eaten there (6-9 years ago... ) it was a treat.

[FrogPrincesse]

I haven't posted in a while but wanted to report on a series of fantastic meals I had at MODUS. I went there for the first time a few months ago and since then, I've become a regular... Their cocktails are original and delicious and perfect to start a nice evening ("fresh start" is champagne and rose water-based, cool love with gin and rose water, cherry poppin - a Caipirinha type cocktail with fresh cherries; I have yet to try one that I don't love! ), the food is perfectly executed and they have a lot of my favorites on the menu (rack of lamb, short ribs, seared foie gras, foie gras brulee which is fantastic, homemade rillettes, to name a few). Just stay away from the desserts and you'll have a great evening. There is a DJ on weekends and the music is usually pretty good except last time in July.

I've been to Cafe Chloe a couple of times for lunch and love that place as well. The restaurant is very nicely decorated, like a modern French bistro. The food is comfort/bistro food. Service is very friendly. There are toys for kids, and it's a really nice place to have lunch. I highly recommend it. Their mussels with saffron and frites have a nice kick and are great.

I've also been to Chive that I had stopped frequenting a few years ago due to passable meals. I agree with everyone else's opinion - that restaurant is amazing now. I was really impressed and surprised. It was the best meal I've had in a while. The fact that you order small plates is great because you get to try a variety of things on the menu. My favorites were the hamachi crudo and the tea-glazed halibut with coconut froth.

Lastly, an old favorite which has also apparently made some recent improvements. Nine Ten used to be great when it opened, and had become a bit disappointing. I've had a great meal there a couple of months ago. The braised short ribs were great, and the bittersweet chocolate "tart" was small but amazing. I have very high standards for dessert and this one was a winner. It consisted of a couple of squares of bittersweet soft chocolate "tart" served with a jasmine sorbet. I need to have this dessert again!

I am very sad to read that Asia Vous has closed. I've always wanted to try it but never got a chance due to the location that was not convenient for me. The menu always intrigued me and I used to go to Rice at the W when he was the chef there. I've never like the name though... maybe it's because I'm French but it never seemed quite right! Hopefully I will get a chance to try his new place in Hawaii.

[kalypso]

I haven't posted in a while but wanted to report on a series of fantastic meals I had at MODUS.  I went there for the first time a few months ago and since then, I've become a regular... Their cocktails are original and delicious and perfect to start a nice evening ("fresh start" is champagne and rose water-based, cool love with gin and rose water, cherry poppin - a Caipirinha type cocktail with fresh cherries; I have yet to try one that I don't love! ), the food is perfectly executed and they have a lot of my favorites on the menu (rack of lamb, short ribs, seared foie gras, foie gras brulee which is fantastic, homemade rillettes, to name a few).  Just stay away from the desserts and you'll have a great evening.  There is a DJ on weekends and the music is usually pretty good except last time in July.

Have you noticed any differences at MODUS since Nathan Coulon left as the chef?

[FrogPrincesse]

Have you noticed any differences at MODUS since Nathan Coulon left as the chef?

I guess not - I had no idea he had left. When did we leave? I last ate there a month ago and it was as delicious as usual.

[kalypso]

Have you noticed any differences at MODUS since Nathan Coulon left as the chef?

I guess not - I had no idea he had left. When did we leave? I last ate there a month ago and it was as delicious as usual.

I think he left about 6-8 weeks ago. Heard a rumor he landed at 1500 Ocean at the Del, but don't quote me on that.

[kalypso]

I think he left about 6-8 weeks ago.  Heard a rumor he landed at 1500 Ocean at the Del, but don't quote me on that.

I was wrong. Nathan Coulon landed at the restaurant in the new Ivy Hotel downtown. Probably a good thing, most of the word-of-mouth I've heard about the resto in Ivy is that it's pretty bad. Suspect Nathan will be able to rectify that.

Edited by kalypso, 05 September 2007 - 09:53 AM.

[mcohen]

sd is a paradox. given all that produce grown in surronding areas like carlsbad and the wealth to support fine dining, sd's dining scene has always been not as good as it should be.

[kalypso]

sd is a paradox. given all that produce grown in surronding areas like carlsbad and the wealth to support fine dining, sd's dining scene has always been not as good as it should be.

That's a rather provocative comment, care to back it up with some examples.

[HVRobinson]

Sure-

It's mostly chain food city down here. There's nothing wrong per se with chain food, but there's little great about it. Look at San Francisco. There are few chain places to eat there. If you want a great Italian eaterie.... you go to North Beach or to Union Street or Lombard or to Judah. Not hard to find with almost no leads. And here in San Diego? Bucca de Beppo? Olive Garden? Fridays? Mimi's Cafe? There are some good places... don't get me wrong. BUT--- there are so many mediocre places and places that are downright AWFUL (ketchup on linguine?) that this is NOT known as a food city. I challenge you to name 4 good French bistros in this town. Other than perhaps La Bastide... I have yet to find a really good one. There isn't a good Basque place anywhere. There are few places that offer Chinese that rivals the WORST in San Francisco's Chinatown. Or even equals a fair place in Los Angeles' Chinatown. After 7 years on the road... the best this town has to offer is Mexican, is casino buffet and is chain cooking. Things other than that can be good, but are priced like New York, but fall very far short for ambiance and for value. And-- I'd love for anybody to prove me wrong, because I've been here for going on 5 years, and the two best meals I've had were Sunday brunch at the Del, and a churascorria in Tijuana (Pampos do Brasil).

hvr

[Kouign Aman]

HRV - do you get to downtown much? Because there's a lot of choice for your exemplar of italian food.

We dont have one of the A+-list restaurants here, and we may be the largest US city to lack one (unless LA only made it to the A-list), but we do have rather a variety of independent places to choose from.

I do not understand the constant derision of restaurant options in San Diego. If I had the cash, I'd invite Docsconz and his family out here for a week of eating at my expense. If he panned the place, then I'd have to believe. But in my experience, the city and its surrounds are not a festering conglomeration of bad food / bad cooking.

[ibjack]

Ok' I'll chime in here. Being a Chef here in SD and knowing most all of the top Chefs mentioned here and then some, I've got to say that yes the dining scene is not what it could be in San Diego. A couple of reasons are that geographically SD is quite large, there is not just one area that has many great places to eat (ie NYC, Chicago, etc..). Also the media is very apt to promote the "best of" based on advertising dollar$ and not on what truly is good. Another reason is that the expectations and pallettes of most diners is very low. For the most part most people that come into the restaurant that I work in are not adventerous, do not they find delight in the simplicity of the preperations of the fine local produce (ala Chez Panisse). I would also say that the lack of consistant, quality service plays into the equation. Too many laid back surfer dudes, college students and the others for whatever reason have ended up in the hospitality industry that hav ebad attitudes. With all this being said there are some great places to eat like Nine-Ten, Cafe Chole, Market, Jack's just to name a few. Like everyone one else, I'm bummed Nathan left Modus.

[kalypso]

Sure-

It's mostly chain food city down here.  There's nothing wrong per se with chain food, but there's little great about it.  Look at San Francisco.  There are few chain places to eat there.  If you want a great Italian eaterie.... you go to North Beach or to Union Street or Lombard or to Judah.  Not hard to find with almost no leads.  And here in San Diego?  Bucca de Beppo?  Olive Garden?  Fridays?  Mimi's Cafe?  There are some good places... don't get me wrong.  BUT--- there are so many mediocre places and places that are downright AWFUL (ketchup on linguine?)  that this is NOT known as a food city.  I challenge you to name 4 good French bistros in this town.  Other than perhaps La Bastide... I have yet to find a really good one.  There isn't a good Basque place anywhere.  There are few places that offer Chinese that rivals the WORST in San Francisco's Chinatown.  Or even equals a fair place in Los Angeles' Chinatown.  After 7 years on the road... the best this town has to offer is Mexican, is casino buffet and is chain cooking.  Things other than that can be good, but are priced like New York, but fall very far short for ambiance and for value.   And-- I'd love for anybody to prove me wrong, because I've been here for going on 5 years, and the two best meals I've had were Sunday brunch at the Del, and a churascorria in Tijuana (Pampos do Brasil).

hvr

Dude, are you sure we live in the same city

No, San Diego is not a fine dining city and if it ever is, I'll be the first to eat my words. But...we are going on day 63 of a major kitchen remodel (down to the concrete floor and wall studs. We've eaten out a lot and only 4 meals (Coco's, IHOP, Original Pancake House and Baker's Square) were National chains, and 3 meals (Anthony's, The Brigantine and Perry's) are local chains. The remainder have been indy operations. Adn, my god, we're located in that dining wasteland known as the East County

The Original Pancake House is #2 on the Best Breakfast list, Cafe One-Three up on Park Blvd. one block south of El Cajon is #1. The worst meals were Anthony's and The Brig, and they were mostly bad because of the service.

My 88 year old mother has been one of the diners and oldsters are not exactly known for being adventurous, but I have to say she's been a pretty good sport about things. I am currently in Florida, but off the top of head here are some of the places we've been where we've had decent to very good meals.

Blue Water Grill - On India, sorta next door to El Indo
Cafe One-Three
Chopsticks Inn (La Mesa, old school Chinese/American)
Ra*ka*de*ka
La Trattoria (in Santee of all places
Scootz (Santee, fabulous broasted spuds)
Perry's in El Cajon for breakfast
Fish Merchant in San Carlos
the Little Fish Market
Ranas.com in Casa de Oro (even more of a wasteland than Santee)
Trattoria Antica
Jayne's Gastropub
Mayahuel

None of these are fine dining spots to be sure and none of then them are ever going to rate a Michelin star, but they are serving up some remarkably decent to good food in weird, wonderful and unexpected locations.

Edited by kalypso, 27 September 2007 - 06:58 PM.

[FrogPrincesse]

I challenge you to name 4 good French bistros in this town.  Other than perhaps La Bastide...

That's easy... In addition to La Bastide I can think of:
Tapenade
Cavaillon
La Bonne Bouffe
Cafe Chloe

[FrogPrincesse]

And there is also

La Vache
Chez Loma
BernardO
French Market Grille

[Foodie in Vancouver]

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations for a business dinner. There are about 8 of us and we are staying at the W hotel for 3 days of meetings. I am looking for recommendations for dinner within walking distance of the hotel for 1 and possibly 2 evenings. The restaurant should be fine dining with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, a good wine list and options suitable for the one non-meat eater in the group. A seafood restaurant is OK - but we get lots of great seafood here in Vancouver so it isn't high on list of needs.

I would also appreciate any other recommendations you have for quick, easy and good food so I can escape the hotel and my colleagues for lunch and/or breakfast. And, (last request) very important to someone from Vancouver, is there anywhere close-by for truly great coffee/espresso?
Many thanks,

[kalypso]

A few doors down from the intersection of 30th and University, on the east side of 30th is Urban Solace, a new restaurant that has only been open a couple of weeks.

I stopped in for lunch today with a friend and had quite an enjoyable meal. The interior is stylishly elegant and when this place hits it's stride it will be a sophisticated addition to the growing cadre of good dining options in North Park. For a restaurant open only 2 weeks they're doing a lot of things right. Some of the recipes still need a little tweaking, but not by much. For example, the orange zest in the orange honey butter didn't really go with the green onions in the cheese biscuits, but the biscuits are good enough to eat plain. This is a not a difficult fix.

They're open 11 am - 11 pm. I'd encourage everyone to try this place at least once. There is loads of potential, I think it will only continue to get better and better the longer it is open.

[mizducky]

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations for a business dinner.  ...  I would also appreciate any other recommendations you have for quick, easy and good food so I can escape the hotel and my colleagues for lunch and/or breakfast. And, (last request) very important to someone from Vancouver, is there anywhere close-by for truly great coffee/espresso?Many thanks,

I'm not so good at business-dinner recommendations, or downtown recs in general, as I usually haunt lower-budget areas. But for escapes from business-meeting mode my strategy would be to walk a couple blocks west of your hotel to India Street, and then north a few more blocks into Little Italy. At the very least, you'll find several sidewalk-cafe venues for coffee and etc. to check out.

[Swicks]

I'm looking for restaurant recommendations for a business dinner. There are about 8 of us and we are staying at the W hotel for 3 days of meetings. I am looking for recommendations for dinner within walking distance of the hotel for 1 and possibly 2 evenings. The restaurant should be fine dining with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients, a good wine list and options suitable for the one non-meat eater in the group. A seafood restaurant is OK - but we get lots of great seafood here in Vancouver so it isn't high on list of needs.

I would also appreciate any other recommendations you have for quick, easy and good food so I can escape the hotel and my colleagues for lunch and/or breakfast. And, (last request) very important to someone from Vancouver, is there anywhere close-by for truly great coffee/espresso?
Many thanks,

Well this location is a little bit tough for good options within walking distance, the closest things are on India Street, as another poster mentioned, and being in Little Italy most of these are Italian. I would recommend Indigo Grill as a non-Italian option http://www.cohnresta...ants/indigo.php

If you want to venture further into downtown there are a host of other options but this might require a short cab ride.

www.signonsandiego.com is a good site for some recs.

[Kouign Aman]

Probably a cab ride rather than a walk, Chive gets good words here.

[Swicks]

Probably a cab ride rather than a walk, Chive gets good words here.

The gaslamp/central downtown area is definately a cab ride, albeit a very short one.

There are a myriad of good choices down there, and as mentioned Chive is excellent.

Some others I personally like:

-Taka (japaneese)
-Osteria Panevino
-Flemings

Some that are just ok but might be good settings for a business dinner with a group:
-JSix
-The Palm
-Ra
-La Strada
-Aqua al duo

[kalypso]

I've had a couple of good meals recently at places that haven't been mentioned here so I thought I'd give them a mention. Neither is fine dining and both are family owned, neighborhood type of places. They aren't cheap eats, but neither will they break the budget.

Sabor Latino
This is a sorta new, mostly Mexican, place in San Carlos that took over the space formerly occupied by Ana Maria Peruvian. I'd call it contemporary Mexican more than traditional or alta cocina. Traditional items have been updated and given modern twists but fall far short of the creativeness of alta cocina. My limonada was fresh squeezed lime juice that was refreshing though it could have used more sweetener and there wasn't any on the table. The tortilla soup that is a choice with entrees was excellent. Though the menu says chicken broth, the base was really a creamy soup infused with a subtle smoky hint of chipotle. Finshed with crisp, thin strips of corn tortilla, fine dice of avocado and a sprinkling of cotija cheese, it's simply one of the best versions I've had in San Diego. The beans and rice accompanying the entrees are standard but both the puntas de filete a la tampinquena and the chicken mole were pretty good. The beef tips had been sauteed in a fresh tomato sauce with onions and serrano chiles. The mole, which a bit sweet for my taste, was well balanced and a nice match with the chicken.

Sabor Latino is located in a small Spanish-style shopping center at the corner of Navajo Rd. and Lake Murray Blvd.

El Comal
I'd heard a lot about El Comal and was anxious to try it. I was craving some good Mexican soup yesterday since the weather had finally turned a little bit chilly from our usual "sunny and 72* standard. A friend and I were actually on our way over to Cafe on Park for a late breakfast but were put off by the length of the wait so we changed gears and went over to El Comal for lunch.

El Comal is located in a converted old house on Illinois about a half block north of University Ave. in North Park. The place is quaint and charming and even though the menu has English translations, the wait staff doesn't speak a lot of English; I was liking this place already 3 table salsa and a basket of chips hit the table pretty quickly. We like the chunky salsa with fresh tomatoes, onion and a mild chile kick. We both loved the salsa verde with the pronounced flavor of roasted green chile. The 3rd sauce was, I think, chile de arbol based, and while good, it lacked some balance and was our least favorite. I think it would probably work well as a condiment for tacos, quesadillas, huraches , etc.

One of my favorite things from the Mexican kitchen are the soups, especially the ones that are an entire meal. I selected the Tlalpeno and my friend the Albondigas. Both soups were served in deep narrow soup bowls along with a smaller bowl of rice to be added to taste, a hot corn tortillas. Mine also came with the ubiquitous plate of chopped onion, cilantro, lime quarters and chopped serrano. My soup was chock full of juilenned carrots, zucchini, garbanzo beans and 2 nice pieces of chicken still on the bone. I would have liked the chicken broth to be a little richer, but still it hit the spot. My friend's albondigas were well seasoned and I thought the beef broth that they came in was pretty good.

Caldo de Res, Siete Mares and Posole Rojo/Posole Blanco are other soup options. There aren't a lot of "combination" plates here, but there are a lot of corn based antojitos and entree plates that sound pretty interesting that I want to go back to check out.

With Chilango's now gone, Sabor Latino and El Comal offer viable alternatives, though neither is quite as polished or sophisticated as was Chilango's.

[kalypso]

If you haven't yet tried Papplecco on the fringes of Little Italy, go. The gelatos are lovely, smooth, creamy, rich, robustly flavored and so decadent considering there's only about 110 calories per cup. Espresso is wonderfully rich and full-bodied with nice crema. The serve a delightful iced coffee drink that comes in an oversized martini glass. In addition to coffee and gelato there is a short selection of salads, bruschettes and panini. The pear salad with assorted cheese, walnuts and "green sauce" (read really well balance pesto) is perfect for lunch. I'm pretty sure the pears are soaked in prosecco. I've only had the brushette Napoli with tomatoes, pesto and pine nuts, but is was light and refreshing and the tomatoes actually tasted like tomatoes.

The owner is charming, the ambiance is European, the gelato outstanding. It's at the corner of State and Cedar. Make a short 2-block detour east from India St and Little Italy and you won't be disappointed.

Edited by kalypso, 27 October 2007 - 04:15 PM.

[sassybat]

If you haven't yet tried Papplecco on the fringes of Little Italy, go. 

i was just there on friday night! we stopped there after having dinner at indigo grill, and i had the pear gelato. SO good!