American

Quality Social (site under construction) opened and Buzz expects it to be a hit. Where else in town can you get a very good gin and tonic (with housemade tonic) or a tasty Brandt beef hot dog that Chicago transplant and executive chef Jared Van Camp makes and smokes at the restaurant? These were two tasting items served at their opening party. Located in the former EXY space downtown at F & 6^th, the room includes two bars, lots of open space with high top seating and a very comfortable vibe. Buzz can’t wait to try the housemade charcuterie that includes pastrami, chicken liver pate and coppa, served with housemade pickles and mustard or goose fat fries for a change of pace. Local is the name of the game for ingredients: Crow’s Pass greens and Monterey Bay squid are but a few of the featured names. Oh, and forget about those frou frou drinks…not here. Open daily from 4pm to 2am.

Wine bars are a dime a dozen, each with their particular personality meant to attract a certain patron. Should you be the casual Wine Steals customer, their newest soon-to-open location is downtown on J Street between 7th and 8th in Petco Park. They’re also opening a separate gastro pub called Proper. And don’t forget the casual new Fifty-Seven Degrees (as noted here) on Hancock at Washington where you’ll find a large round bar, good wines and friendly and knowledgeable wine tenders. Closed Monday.

If, however, you want a contemporary, sophisticated experience, with top-notch service, a knowledgeable sommelier (Katie Brookshire who buys unusual and interesting wines), and a chef (Luke Johnson) who shops the farmers market for his weekly menu creations, then this is your spot. Buzz popped into Red Velvet for a bite and can’t wait to return. The tiny menu included fresh morels from Northern California with bite-size light gnocchi, fresh favas and Meyer lemon ($8) that paired well with a Saint- Veran and a delicate pork belly spiked with dots of tangelo puree and a subtle undertone of cocoa and jalapeno ($11) melded with a glass of Reisling. This gem seats just 30 people. From 5pm to 11pm, closed Monday.

Buzz is hearing that one of San Diego’s top chefs, Amy DiBiase, a member of Cooks Confab and executive chef at the popular Roseville in Point Loma, will be moving on in the near future. Stay tuned.

Donovan’s owners take over the Bondi space land will open later this summer with a new dining concept–possibly seafood or Italian so not to compete with their namesake steakhouse just a block away.

Lobster lovers, mark your calendar for May. That’s when King’s Fish House will feature live Maine lobsters in nine sizes and multiple dishes from bisque to rolls. Locations in Mission Valley, Chula Vista and Carlsbad.

In these recessionary times, it’s great to see new places open–we all need to get out once in a while.

Paon opens in Carlsbad. It features California French cuisine and a well-stocked wine bar in a luscious setting. The people behind this venture include Steve Barr and chef David Gallardo, both of the award winning Winesellar & Brasserie. Buzz hopes to get a peek very soon.

Small Bar, just opened in University Heights. The same owner as Hamilton’s Tavern in South Park thought a grown-up bar in the area–no over-the-top weird cocktails, just 40 beers on tap and a full bar for those who might want a Manhattan–would be fitting for the neighborhood. Bar food includes Hamiltonesque burgers and more. The website isn’t quite up and running but it’s at 4628 Park Ave., open daily from noon (10am on Sunday) til 2am. 619-795-7998.

Good news for the Barrio Logan building that formerly housed The Guild. The planning and architectural firm of M.W. Steele Group bought the building and will occupy much of it, including the upstairs mezzanine. Blueprint Cafe and a catering company (owned by a former New York chef) will use the remaining space. The 40 seat cafe will serve lunch with homemade/handmade American seasonal dishes and afternoon light fare. Expect to see it open mid July. As details are not final, we can’t divulge more names just yet. Stay tuned.

Diane Powers will open Casa Bandini in the Forum, likely sometime in July.

And we hope it isn’t true that a small Hillcrest eatery, open barely a year and a half, could be closing soon.

Had a chance to visit Whisknladle on Wall Street in La Jolla where their motto on menu is a Julia Child quote: ” You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients.” Buzz and a pal agree, with at least the four dishes we tried (all perfect for sharing): cracker thin flatbread with greens, a light dusting of Parmesan and a bit of lemon zest ($14); seared scallops (2) on a skinny plate with baby snow peas and blood orange foam ($16); fusilli with morels and fava bean puree ($14) and a rhubarb galette with an unusually (and very good) feather-light crust ($10). With drinks our tab was $90 plus tip and for a Wednesday night, the place was nearly full-they clearly know their customers with only 20 menu items priced mostly in the high teens. High quality ingredients, a bit pricey for quanity, as in the two scallops for $16. Mid- May they open Prepkitchen down the street on Fay Avenue for take away or eat in sandwiches, salads, dinner items and more….

Encinitas has a gem tucked away in the old Marie Callender’s spot at Manchester and Encinitas Boulevards. Three of us found the service, food and the clubby atmosphere at Bentley’s Steak & Chop House top notch. How so? Specials were recited with the price; server didn’t reveal her name; generous portion of Colorado rack of lamb perfectly cooked medium rare ($29). With drinks our three mains and two starters totaled $160 plus tip. There’s a large patio for lunch or dinner and if I lived closer, I’d be a regular.

The almost open Setai San Diego made a name change December 22, to Sè San Diego. The Asian word Sè loosely translates to color, quality, sensuality and physical attraction which the owners felt better defines the hotel and separates it from its sister Setai in Miami (owned by Lehman Brothers). The idea is to brand the hotel and future properties in other cities (think Sè Las Vegas and you get the idea). The hotel is in its soft opening and its signature restaurant Suite & Tender Bar, Lounge & Restaurant (a cute play on words, but will you think steak?) hopes to be open by Sunday, December 28. Christopher Lee, from New York where he garnered two Michelin stars for Gilt, is the consulting chef and Bill Boyle is the executive chef for the mostly steak, raw bar and seafood menu. 1047 Fifth Ave., San Diego., 619-515-3000.

Jack’s La Jolla redid their upscale dining room to an Italian venture called Viaggio. The menu features chef Tony DiSalvo’s homemade pastas and much more. Haven’t tried it, as it apparently just opened with little fanfare.

La Jolla based Burger Lounge comes to Coronado and will open their third location at the end of July in the old Island Wok space at 922 Orange Avenue. If you want an organic beef burger with hand-cut in house fries, this is your place. To top it off, they are now one of a handful of green certified restaurants in San Diego.

The Cohn Restaurant Group, that many say sets the bar in the city for middle-of-the-road food and service aimed at the mass market/convention customer, is expanding. They’ve partnered with Sunroad Harbor Island (a subsidiary of Sunroad Enterprises) who just got the go ahead from the Board of Port Commissioners for a $9 million overhaul of the former Reuben E. Lee floating restaurant, currently at the end of Harbor Island. Located conveniently next to the Cohn owned restaurant, Island Prime, the LEED certified restaurant will be designed by Graham Downes Architecture whose eclectic portfolio includes Nine-Ten, Chive, and the redo of its sister property Laurel. Along with Lesley and David Cohn, chef/partner Deborah Scott will operate the Lee. Expect construction to begin late 2009 and finish about 2011.

While we’re on the subject of the Cohn collection, as Buzz reported in May, David’s supposedly best-kept-secret-that-everyone-knew-about is finally out. Hard Work, Inc. (Cohn Restaurant Group) signed a 10-year lease for The Corvette Diner to relocate to the old Officers Club at the Barnett entrance end of Liberty Station. Renovation is underway on the space. And further up the coast, in the coming-on-oh-so-hip Oceanside, the Cohns will open a steak and seafood place called 333 Pacific in the Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort on Pier View Way and Pacific Street. Expect to see the restaurant open by the end of the year.

The Cohns join others who find Oceanside the newest area ripe for restaurant expansion. Old Town’s popular Harney Sushi just opened their second very contemporary spot on the corner of Mission and Cleveland close to the pier. They have a sake bar, lots of sushi rolls and more. The place was very hip and hopping at their opening just last night.

If you’re looking for honest, solid food Ritual Tavern, only a few months old, might be your place. It’s on 30th Street, a few blocks north of Lincoln. Buzz and pals made two visits to taste some of its small menu. Not fancy, but homey with dishes made with mostly local, organic ingredients. You might call the place a neighborhood Slow Food eatery. Owners Michael Flores and Staci Wilkens (alums, along with chef Glenn Farrington, from The Linkery) strive for dishes made from sustainable and organic ingredients. Niman Ranch provides their meats and Farrington makes his own catsup, mustard, pickles and slaw to avoid high-fructose corn syrup and other additives usually found in commercial brands.

A northern version of gumbo that adds carrots to the usual southern trio of onion, green pepper and celery is thickened with roux and the bites of spicy sausage, chicken and shrimp mix well in the bowl with organic wild rice. It’s a zippy, hearty dish that is just terrific, as a dish, regardless of whether it can be called gumbo in the strictest sense. A dish should be good on its own merits and this one is. Farm-raised catfish and house-made chips are light and crunchy though the fish could have used a moment more in the fryer to give it a firmer texture. A perfectly cooked medium-rare lamb sirloin flanked with fresh chard and potatoes du jour is the highest priced item on the menu ($19). There’s a delectable bread pudding with homemade bourbon sauce and a seasonal fresh fruit (apple and pear one night) that hit the spot–albeit with an unexpected heavy crust.

An extensive list of beers and a small eclectic group of wines by the glass make good beverage choices. You’ll find gluten-free dishes and the kitchen is willing to adjust a dish to meet your needs. That said, it can impact the kitchen and service. One night all went well, another time salad and entrees arrived together. One could argue it’s food you’d make at home, simple and tasty, but why bother if you’ve got a neat little tavern nearby.

Wando Shrimp Co. Just back from a three and a half day Southern Foodways Alliance trip to Charleston, SC to experience lowcountry cooking at its best. Lots of good food, including delicious riffs on southern favorites such as she crab soup, shrimp and grits and lots more. Fabulous food at Slightly North of Broad, aka SNOB, McCrady’s, along with a breakfast “Big Nasty” from Hominy Grill, and a fun dinner on-site at the Old City Jail with food from Magnolia’s, SNOB and Louis’s Charleston Restaurant. A gorgeous stroll, lunch and history talk at Middleton Place plantation with the oldest landscaped garden in the US, and lots of Charleston’s muggy, hot weather.

Imagine a Hurricane Hugo wrecked ship named Richard & Charlene that came loose from the dock during the fierce hurricane. The wreck sat impaled on the bare pilings for nine months until salvagers removed the remains. The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene is the funky restaurant that sits at the wreck’s site on Shem Creek as a reminder of Hugo’s destruction. Immediately next door, at the end of the road is Wando Shrimp Co. where workers sort just caught shrimp. The restaurant serves greaseless shell-on fried shrimp, so tasty you can eat the shell and this brunch was a perfect ending to the trip.

San Diego could take a page from the food and service that marks many of Charleston’s restaurants. Chef-owned venues serve fresh local ingredients in dishes that keep southern traditions, yet push taste and presentation to more modern creations. Southern hospitality can’t be beat in this wonderful city founded in 1680 that oozes history everywhere you turn.

Addison at The Grand Del Mar, the latest Doug Manchester creation just off Highway 56, is quite simply, unlike any property here in San Diego. Massive in scale, the stand alone restaurant almost feels like a lavish hotel with its high and ornate ceilings, intricate stone and woodwork, archways, porticos and views of the golf course. Named after a 1920’s Florida architect, Addison Mizner, the restaurant and its decor encompass much of Mizner’s work in Florida according to a book on Florida architecture given to the media. Buzz does wonder what the big deal is with Florida architecture in southern California…how did “Papa” Manchester become so entralled with Addison Mizner?

While we’ve not yet had a meal there, the menu is short as the restaurant gets up to speed with five entrees and five pre courses ranging in price from $14 to $46 and a six course tasting menu for $95. Some menu items: prawns with lemon-lime jam, white nectarines and sweet garlic confit, and bass with bacon-lobster fricassee, arugula and preserved lemon.

Buzz loved the staff who are trained in the European style of attentiveness and knowledge without being intrusive to the diner. The wine selection of nearly 2000 bottles is run by sommelier Jesse Rodriguez who arrived fresh from Thomas Keller’s French Laundry. Management’s attention to details was noteworthy though the simplicity of the three page menu was marred by three glaring typos that we trust have been corrected. Addison, 5200 Grand Del Mar Way, 858-314-1900, Dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday.

Ruby’s Diner, the fixture at the end of Oceanside Pier, is part of a restaurant chain, serving good typical diner food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ruby’s first restaurant opened in 1982 on the pier in Newport Beach. It’s a 1940’s diner atmosphere, with good hamburgers and. As the longest wooden pier on the west coast (1942 feet), you can get a good workout walking to the restaurant. 1 Oceanside Pier, 760-433-RUBY (7829).

It's Got Bite

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

Bits and Bites: Carlsbad and University Heights

Buzz from the Bar: Updates

Bits and Bites: La Jolla and Encinitas

Buzz from the Bar

Bits and Bites: Oceanside to Coronado Update

Ritual Tavern in North Park

More Than Grits in Charleston

Lavish to the Nines

A gem at the pier

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