Places to go more often:
- Jayne's - lovely Gastropub in the Normal Heights/North Park area with a lovely back garden.
- Okan -Japanese Izakaya in Kearny Mesa.
- Alchemy - neighborhood restaurant in South Park - good cocktails, interesting menu.
- Blanca - used to love it, haven't been since the chef change.
- Linkery and El Take it Easy - I've had a few mixed experiences at both, but when they're good they're great, and I love the principles behind them.
- Sea Rocket Bistro - haven't been back since just after opening. We had a couple of mixed experiences, but people seem to like it pretty well now, and I'm such a seafood lover.
- Market - love Carl Schroder's food and James Foran's desserts, but just don't make it up to Del Mar often enough.
- The Smoking Goat - cute little bistro in North Park - only been once, before they had their liquor license, and I keep hearing good things.
- Wine Sellar Brasserie - I have always thought the food was great, but the atmosphere and dining room are a bit lacking. Is it still as good as it used to be?
- Costa Brava - I always forget about this place. Good tapas, decent Sangria and a good place to spend time with friends and forget just for a little while that you're in San Diego. Love the patatas bravas!
- Pomegranate - Russian Georgian Restaurant in Normal Heights.
- Kaito - supposedly the best sushi in San Diego - in Encinitas.
- Tao - New incarnation of Dao Son in Normal Heights.
- Anthology - Supper Club with music - need to find a show and go!
- Searsucker - Brian Malarkey's place in the Gaslamp. Still haven't been, but lunch is calling my name...
- Dolce Pane e Vino - everything cooked in a wood burning oven? Yes, please!
- Addison - The finest fine dining in San Diego, and we haven't tried it yet.
- Dim Sum at Jasmine, Pearl or Emerald - still haven't had dim sum in San Diego. Travesty!
- Q'ero - Peruvian food in N. County. Keep hearing great things.
- Izakaya Masa - a Japanese Izakaya in a tucked away location in Mission Hills. (If Andrew & Heidi like it, it must be good!)
Posts
Good list. Your making feel accomplished in my san diego food rounds. Tao is fun. Jasmine and Pomegranate are both experiences and awesome. I think Pomegranate is best in the fall, but that could just be me. I've never been to Searsucker. I'm going to tell a friend of mine that's working downtown this week to try it. Thanks Alice.
ReplyDeleteWhisknladle is a SD favorite of mine maybe you'd like it too :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the second time today I've heard of Jayne's, I'm going to have to make it over there. Heading to Searsucker for the first time this weekend. Definitely get thee to Jasmine, love the dim sum there! Would love to try the others sometime too.
ReplyDeletehi alice - tao is pretty good. did you know that salad and dessert (ice cream) is included with your meals there? very nice. i've also wanted to try pomegranate/petrushka but haven't gotten around to that either, although i've been to the african place and apertivo next door to it.
ReplyDeleteI second 90% of this list! I can vouch for Kaito - it was delicious and worth it but I'm still partial to Hane. And we LOVE Masa here in Mission Hills - such a fun spot! :) So many places, so little time!
ReplyDeleteYour list is a lot like mine. I finally did the omakase at Kaito last night (working on the post now) I was blown away. Make sure you sit at the bar, Chef Kaz will guide you through.
ReplyDeleteGreat list Alice! Will be sure to use in the future. Q'ero is really great, but make sure to get a reservation, it's tiny (like Blue Ribbon, our other favorite Encinitas gem...).
ReplyDeleteI tried blanca last night - it's awesome. And $60 for a 4-course meal is a deal. I hope that Gavin Schmidt sticks around San Diego for years to come.
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