2008 | FoodBuzzSD

Every once in a while it’s good to get out of San Diego to see what the rest of the world is eating. Recently, Buzz tripped up to the Monterey Peninsula.

In the Monterey/Pacific Grove area…great, fabulous coffee at Acme, in Seaside, two minutes north of Monterey. Owner Larry Thurman opened this tiny place four years ago in a garage with the motto “Resist Corporate Coffee”. Here you won’t find those over-the-top concoctions that mask the taste of good coffee. You will find small batches of beans from small growers, roasted in-house, ground to order and made into espresso–properly, as shots–or as regular coffee made in a simple contraption called a drip bar that allows for the coffee to made fresh in the cup–with the coffee of your choice. No stale canister coffee here. Thurman cleverly names his blends: Motor City Espresso, Valve Job Blend, Road Dog Blend, you get the picture. Try the natural Ethiopian as espresso, it’s rich, not burned and almost sweet but very satisfying. Barista Chris and Larry both know how to make very good coffee. Located just off Broadway on Contra Costa and Palm, Seaside, 831-393-9113, Monday-Friday 6:30am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 3pm, closed Sunday.

Down in Pacific Grove, two minutes south of Monterey, you’ll find a walkable town with many historic Victorian homes and friendly people who acknowledge you with a smile or a good morning as you wander the streets to the ocean. At the corner of Lighthouse and 18th you”ll find Fournier’s Bakery Café. Owner/chef Kevin Fournier turns out featherlight focaccia for sandwiches and panini, not too sweet dense cocoa brownies, almond paste bear claws and lots more including custom wedding and specialty cakes. 650 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, 831-655-1447. Open daily 8am to 5pm.

Just a few blocks away on Lighthouse, is Mélange, one of the very few places with small bar–if you don’t want to sit at a table. Open for dinner only, the small menu changes with the whim of chef/owner David Frappiea and the seasons. David describes his menu as world fusion (and I would add, without, thankfully any confusion). He resists overdoing flavors but isn’t afraid to tempt the palate with an offbeat take on a dish. Always great is the house-made fettuccine with wild mushrooms, simple and very flavorful with a mélange of seasonal ‘shrooms in a light butter sauce with tomato and fresh basil. A lovely shrimp risotto and even veal sweetbreads and braised rabbit starters appear on this small and well-priced (mostly mid $20’s) menu. A thoughtful and interesting wine list pairs with the food and David’s fiancée Dorothy has a terrific palate for wine/food pairings. For my taste, however, I prefer to have my reds not at room temp (usually 65 or 70 degrees), but slightly cooler, as if they came directly from the cellar, to enhance the wine’s flavors. Dinner only from 5:30pm to 10:00pm, Closed Sunday, 542 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, 831-333-0301.

Looks like sushi is a big draw for Fifth Avenue. As noted here Azuki has opened at Juniper and Fifth. Up the street at Olive, Hane Sushi (the soon-to-be second location of the well-known Sushi Ota) will sandwich Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar with Mukashi at the corner of Nutmeg. Ota signed a 10 year, $1 million plus lease. Can you believe it, two sushi joints in the same block? Buzz tried Mukashi when it opened and will soon try Azuki.

A nd over at the now defunct Gemelli’s at Fifth and Laurel, the liquor license is transferring to Restau, LLC. Stay tuned to see what happens in this prime corner space. Opposite corners are home to Laurel Restaurant & Bar and Bertrand at Mr. A’s (with one of the best rooftop views of the city),

If you’ve never tried German wines (and no, they are not all sweet), do yourself a favor and go the dinner at Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar on September 23. Truly Fine Wine will host the wine side of the evening. As a newbie to German wines myself, I have tasted, bought and love the dry wines that Truly Fine Wine imports. The menu sounds great and the cost of the dinner and wine is $75. For reservations and information: 619-542-0394.

Chef Celebration is in its 13th year as a collaborative effort of more than 50 award-winning chefs who give their time and expertise, in partnership with Napa’s Culinary Institute of America, to raise scholarship money for young chefs. Every Tuesday during October, you can join many of San Diego’s top chefs as they prepare a course for a five-course dinner at one of five restaurants: Terra, Bernard’O, Pamplemousse Grille, Trattoria Acqua and Thee Bungalow. Check our each restaurant for the menu and chefs who will be participating. This year the dinners hope to raise $18000. Of the $65 donation for the dinner, $35 goes towards the nonprofit scholarship fund so make your reservations and support young chefs. For information: www.chefcelebration.org.

Looks like Wolfgang Puck‘s influence will now be downtown at the soon-to-open Crescent Heights Kitchen & Lounge. Executive chef David McIntyre’s experience comes from eight years at Puck’s Beverly HIlls Spago working his way to sous-chef and kitchen manager and most recently, consulting on Puck’s very upscale steak house Cut. McIntyre’s menu features solid Puck inspired dishes…variations of which are on the menus of his LA restaurants, including Kobe beef sliders, Chino Farm veggies and more. What Puck’s branding brings to San Diego is consistently solid food and service–something many restaurants in this town, for the most part, can’t deliver. 655 West Broadway, Ground Floor, at India St. and Broadway. Opening late this month.

Over in North Park, Heaven Sent Desserts newly installed executive chef Tina Luu brings years of pastry making to the cafe at the corner of University and 30th. She teaches at baking and pastry at The Art Institute of San Diego, and for the past 20 plus years has worked in top restaurants world-wide and with such chefs as Michael Mina and Bradley Ogden.

Great to see that The Better Half in Hillcrest received a Wine Spectator award for its wine list that features half bottles…that go so well with the food.

Up in Little Italy at the new Porto Vista Hotel is The Glass Door restaurant. The hotel sits up on Columbia Street and the restaurant is on the fourth floor with an engaging view of the bay. There is a skinny outdoor patio that is perfect for a glass of wine and an appetizer as you watch the sunset. A pal and I shared simple presentations of flat iron steak with arugula and cherry tomatoes ($14) and a composed blue fin tuna niçoise salad with house cured olives, capers, pan roasted haricot verts that could have used a little lettuce or green to tie the elements together on the plate ($12). Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacking. For information and reservations: 619-564-3755.

Up on West Washington Avenue, Olivetto Cafe & Wine Bar (website not up yet) serves homey Italian food in a newly refurbished space in Mission Hills (across the street from the Lamplighter bar). The room is comfortable, wood accents and walls without adornment (they look great). A nightly special of risotto with chicken ($14) filled the bill for properly cooked rice, good chicken to make a nicely flavored, uncomplicated dish. The restaurant makes a good addition to neighborhood eating. Open for lunch and dinner. For information and reservations: 619-220-8222.

Tender Greens, in Liberty Station (on Old Decatur Rd, behind Trader Joe’s and Vons) is a unique concept that uses local ingredients whenever possible including fruits and vegetables from Crows Pass Farms in Temecula, Pacific Beach’s Pacific Shellfish, and Con Pane breads from Roseville. This is the place you go when you don’t want to cook…but want good food at very reasonable prices.

At a recent media dinner we sampled some of the angus flank steak with Yukon gold mashed potatoes, the tuna noise salad with greens, potato, egg, olives and a zippy dressing, and a Chinese chicken salad with spicy greens and crispy wontons. What is terrific about this place is all of these dishes are $10. Yep, and they are satisfying and well made. Desserts are $3 and are homemade with seasonal fruits by executive soups chef, Rain Brandenburg’s mother, Susanna. While this is a casual and eco-friendly restaurant, the food is notches above many other local eateries. The original Tender Greens is in Culver City. Open daily from 11 am. 619-226-6254.

You’ve likely already heard about Wolfgang Pucks’ latest venture, jai at the La Jolla Playhouse complex. Recently, Puck was in town for the media lunch and we sampled some of the menu. The restaurant is contemporary, fits well with the UCSD campus…and is perfect for the theater-going public that longs for the ubiquitous Kobe burger ($16) or a tasty Chinese chicken salad ($8 or $14) or even a steak from Snake River Farm ($45). One of the tastiest dishes is the miss sake broiled butterfish with noodles ($23). This is Asian-fusion done with classic Puck oversight. It’s not Sago in food or in price: Most all of the mains are in the $20 range. Great for a drink and bite before or after the show. Catering available. For information 858-638-7778.

Amy DiBiase, executive chef at Roseville in Point Loma is set to compete again in the 4th Annual Chef’s Showdown that benefits the Center for Community Solutions. Tickets for the October 2nd event on the Promenade at Liberty Station are $125 and can be purchased online.

While we’re on the subject of Rosevile, with its French-Mediterranean menu, is now open seven days a week and September 7, begins Sunday brunch with an inspiring menu of à la carte dishes that will go far beyond the mundane eggs and bacon. The menu will soon be set, and with the innovative Amy DiBiase at the helm, I’d bet it will be sumptuous. For information and reservations: 619-450-6800, (www.rosevillesd.com still under construction),

Over in Hillcrest, Charles Kaufman of Bread & Cie at Fourth and University Avenue went round and round with the city over the height of the enclosure for his expanded wine/pizza service on the patio. He’s happy to report that devotees will soon be able to sip a glass of wine and enjoy the avenue’s scene in the next few weeks.

The Loews Coronado Bay Resort has named Timothy Ralphs their new executive chef for their signature dining room Mistral, as well as the entire property. Ralphs local experience includes three years as executive chef at Top of the Cove, banquet director at the Omni where his menus went way beyond the boring banquet fare, with his additions such things as amuse-bouche, organic ingredients, and more. He European travels and work (he’s also trained in wine and is an advanced sommelier). Along with good local ingredients, Ralphs can pick fresh herbs from the hotel’s 3800 square foot herb garden. Tours of the garden are given every Friday at 3pm and include a tasting and recipes. Cost is $20 and for information and reservations call the hotel’s concierge at 619-424-4000 x 6300.

Recently, Buzz returned from three days in Napa attending Taste3, a conference at Copia that melds food, wine and art in deliciously unusual ways. Imagine a tour of three local artists studios, including glass designer Gordon Huether, painter Gail Chase-Bien and ceramic sculptor Renata Allen led by the legendary Margrit Mondavi that included lunch at Yountville’s Redd. Everything–and everyone, including the 12 lucky participants– from the art to the food made a terrific segue to the next two days.

This gathering was the third year of Taste3. Started by the bright and ingenious minds behind TED including the creative comedian Tom Rielly, this conference brings together cutting edge thinking presented by experts in their respective fields. Taste 3 tempts, teases and teaches…and is worth every minute of the experience.

In two jam-packed days, 32 speakers, four to a session, each talking about 18 minutes, covered such topics as “Seeds”, “Urban” and “Source”. In”Action/Reaction” I learned about climate change and its impact on viticulture and wine production from Greg Jones, who teaches geography Southern Oregon University. Earlier in “Source” Ben Roche, Moto‘s pastry chef, thrilled the audience as he showed how he designs “technically innovative” desserts that use nitrogen gas, helium and more to create “explosive” and delicious confections. Darra Goldstein in “Worldview” spoke of her trip to Israel and the West Bank and how food, including falafel, can be used as a bridge to quell Arab and Israeli conflict. Also in that session, Bruce Gutlove explained how he directs a Japanese winery (worked by developmentally disabled to produce wine served at the recent G-8 Summit).

Breaks featured chocolates from Tcho and Scharffen Berger, Equator Estate Coffees & Teas and even shoes from Tom’s. Winery dinners and a lovely party and concert at Mondavi winery finished out the symposium’s evenings.

If you’ve got cash, have we got a deal for you: Invest in a Beltran restaurant. According to information sent to their mailing list, owners Philippe Beltran and Jacqueline Delaney are offering investment opportunities for their neighborhood restaurant concepts. He owns Blue Boheme in Kensington and Papa Nanou in Mission Hills, due to open late this year. For information: 619-823-6510.

We hear that Maria Hunt, ex food critic for the UT is freelancing for north county magazines including Riviera where she’s authoring a piece on Roseville in Point Loma.

Maureen Clancy who spent many years writing about food at the UT, now has her own blog,

Chef Jason Seibert has landed in Los Angeles. His time in San Diego included Cafe Cerise (chef/owner) and when it closed he consulted for the opening of downtown’s Jade Theater. He recently spent eight months catering with Wolfgang Puck for LA’s mayor, Billy Crystal and others.

Buzz loves unusual restaurant locations particularly places with views beyond four walls and food that makes the trip worthwhile. Whether it’s the ocean, mountains or sky-high city/bay panorama, San Diego’s varied terrain affords many dining choices. These are a few of my favorites.

BY THE SEA: You might think of the Hotel Del Coronado as a spot reserved only for vacationers, but think again. It’s a place with many choices depending on your mood. There’s Eno, the wine bar under the direction of the very knowledgeable Ted Glennon. The Del sits almost on the sand of the Pacific so you can sit outside, sip a glass, flight or bottle of wine, nibble on cheese, charcouterie or chocolate paired (if you wish) to the wine and watch the sunset or stargaze. Glennon offers Saturday “Eno-Versity” classes with winemakers for $35: Sake on August 16; German wines on August 23 and Rosés on September 6. Open from 4pm. For information 619-522-8546.

Finish your wine, take a short walk on the promenade and head down to 1500 Ocean where Chef Brian Sinnott does wonders with homemade featherlight papparadelle in sauces that change with the season, including the current ethereal one with morels, pea tendrils and pancetta in a light mushroom butter fondue. September 17 features a special lobster and sparkling wine dinner and November 12, a four-course celebration of truffles, both are $135 per person. Dinner from 5:30pm. Reservations: 619-522-8490.

Further up the coast in Del Mar, Sbicca invited a few media to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a dinner held in their upstairs wine room. The restaurant sits a few blocks from the ocean so the view of the ocean with the rooftops is a bit like being in a quaint, coastal Mediterranean restaurant–relaxed. There’s a lovely outdoor patio just off that wine room with the same textural view.

A block away is , Epazote that sits on the hill in the shopping complex at 15th and Camino del Mar. The views from their Ocean Terrace room (all glass) take in the rooftops and a large expanse of the ocean. Executive chef Justin Hoehn adds his touches to the menu with lemon linquinini wild arugula pesto and veggies, Niman Ranch pork osso bucco with gnocchi and lots more. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 7pm.

THE MOUNTAINS: Cavaillon, is up the 56 and off Camino del Sur, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere is now somewhere if you live in Santa Luz or that neck of the woods…or if you travel between the 15 and the 5. And now chef/owner Philippe Verpriand has a lovely small plate summer menu. A recent media event there featured wines from Paris Drigger (a distributor) and tasting plates of such things as really good pommes frites with truffle oil and Parmesan (yes, everyone does the dish; not everyone does it well), mushroom ravioli, steak salad and more. The venue allows you to watch the sunset from the hills rather than the ocean and a relaxing atmosphere pervades the patio dining area. Along with the food and location, the service is top-notch. If I lived in that corridor of Rancho Santa Fe, Escondido and Carmel Valley, it would be on my favorites list. Prices range from $4.50 to $14 and the menu is available Sunday to Thursday from 5pm to 7pm. For information: 858-433-0483.

SKY HIGH:

Watch the planes, have a drink, lunch or dinner, Bertrand at Mister A’s has the spectacular city, bay and airport view…Though I haven’t been there for awhile, the vista hasn’t changed! For reservations: 619-239-1377.

Wine lovers will be sad and glad to know that the famed Chateau Montelena winery in Calistoga is being sold to the house of Cos d’Estournel in the Saint-Estèphe area of Bordeaux.

Over at The Shores Restaurant and sister to the well-known Marine Room, Lisa Redwine is the new General Manager. Many may know her from Molly’s where she was the GM as well as the hotel wine director. Bernard Guillas is the executive chef for The Shores as well as the Marine Room. Both properties are part of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

EXY, the downtown chic Greek restaurant and lounge is now open for lunch with items such as chicken pita sandwich, swell hamburgers, salads and other dishes from their dinner menu–sized for lunch–and priced between $5 and $9. Open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and though Saturday for dinner. Also available for private functions on Sunday and Monday. Located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and F Street; phone: 619-238-0412.

The Saturday Little Italy Mercato grows weekly with new vendors that include rotisserie chickens from Grill Master, lots of seasonal and produce for locovores and bakery items too…I hope to get there this weekend. Located between Date Street and Kettner to Union and open from 9am to 1:30pm.

It's Got Bite

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
About San Diego's Food Scene

Archives by Year 2008

Out of San Diego: Monterey

Bits and Bites: Bankers Hill Update

German Wine and a Celebration of Chefs

Bits and Bites: A Puck Protégé, Dessert and Wine

Bits and Bites: New Spots

Bits and Bites: Pt. Loma, Coronado and Hillcrest

A Taste of Taste3

Bits and Bites: Updates

Rooms with a View

Bits and Bites: Calistoga Winery Sells and More

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