Desserts

As noted here, chef Amy DiBiase recently left Roseville and we’ve learned just landed at the Glass Door in Little Italy. Expect to see a new menu (and hopefully a revamped dining room) very soon. At Roseville, Chad White, who was DiBiase’s sous chef, continues in the kitchen and Buzz guesses there will be some new menu items here as well.

There’s some noise in Point Loma that a building at Garrison and Rosecrans (and backs up to the Dolphin Motel on Scott St.) is being remade to become a steak house…yep, that’s what we’re hearing…so stay tuned for more info.

The latest eatery to join Bankers Hill’s “gourmet gulch” opens Monday, April 5. Barrio Star makes it six for the Isabel Cruz collection of eateries–three in San Diego and two in Oregon–she’s well-known in Pacific Beach for Isabel’s Cantina. It will be a nice addition to the myriad of places available to diners in the area. In just one block on Fifth Avenue between Nutmeg and Oliver, there’s Mexican (Barrio Star), American (Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar) or sushi (Hane). Dessert is up a block or so at Extraordinary Desserts. A few blocks south on Fifth at Laurel is Italian (Cucina Urbana) and French (Hexagone and Bertrand at Mr. A’s) and there’s more sushi (Azuki) and pizza (Pizzicato) to round out those few blocks on Fifth.

Two more soon-to-open places in Bankers Hill: Gourmet on Fifth in the former space of a coffee and sandwich place (north across the street from Cucina Urbana) and Carl Schroeder’s much anticipated Bankers Hill Bar & Restaurant at Ivy and Fourth Avenue.

On Valentine’s Day (and everyday, really) show your love in ways that go beyond the usual hearts and flowers.

For those who love bubbles (the drinkable kind), get a head start with your Valentine and book the Chandon dinner on February 10 at The 3^rd Corner. It includes four courses and guest Tom Tibarzi, the sparkling wine director at the winery, who will talk about the wines. $75 plus tip. For reservations 619-223-2700.

On Valentine’s Day surprise your sweetie with coffee and a chocolate bread teddy bear from Con Pane Rustic Breads & Café. Made from the bakery’s pane cioccollata (Italian chocolate bread), this tasty cutie comes boxed with a red ribbon. Not too rich, but with bits of Belgian chocolate scattered through it, this $12.95 bear will bring a smile to your true love. Order ahead: 1110 Rosecrans, Point Loma, 619-224-4344.

Should an edible teddy bear not suffice, how about a lovely wine or Champagne with a selection of cheeses, pates and crackers or bread. In Carlsbad, La Costa Wine Co. will help you choose the perfect bottle to go with their lovely selection of imported cheeses and pates that you would find in fine restaurants. La Costa Wine Co. 6986 El Camino Real, 760-431-8455.

Venissimo Cheese with locations in Del Mar, Mission Hills and downtown, carry a wide variety of cheeses, crackers, jams and even honey (for dabbing on certain cheeses or just keeping your love sweet throughout the year). Taste Artisan Cheese & Gourmet Shop can also help you with cheeses and local salumi from Knight for a platter to please the palate. 1243 ½ University Ave., San Diego, 619-683-2306.

Most restaurants do special Valentine’s Day dinners, many with a prix-fixe menu so check with your favorite spot for options. If you want to try something different, reserve a space for a chocolate inspired dinner at the tiny Eclipse Chocolat shop. They will serve a four-course dinner for $100 per couple. Well-known for their monthly chocolate dinners, they take just 200 reservations for their 27 seats on two nights, at multiple seatings beginning at 2pm. Dinner cost includes wines, plus tax and tip. 2121 El Cajon Blvd., at Alabama, 619-578-2984.

Valentine’s Day would not be complete without a mention of many of San Diego’s top chocolatiers and dessert makers. You’ll always find room for chocolate espresso kisses from The Elegant Truffle in Point Loma, or something special from Extraordinary Desserts in Bankers Hill and Little Italy or Heaven Sent Desserts in North Park. Chuao Chocolatier in Encinitas, University Towne Centre and Del Mar Heights creates uniquely flavored chocolates with chocolate from Venezuela. Chocolat Cremerie’s locations in Hillcrest and the Gaslamp feature Italian inspired desserts, crepes and more should you want to indulge for brunch. The Elegant Truffle, 1111 Scott St., Point Loma, 619-222-1889.

In Bankers HIll, Hexagone French Cuisine now occupies the corner of Fifth and Laurel in the old Gemelli spot. Hexagone is the newest addition to French Market Grille up in Rancho Bernardo. The new place features everything from salad niçoise ($13.75) and onion soup grantinée ($6.50) to traditional coq au vin ($17.50) and sea bass with corn risotto and fennel-vanilla sauce ($22.50). I haven’t eaten at either spot yet. And if you’re wondering (as I did) what a hexagon has to do with French cuisine, it’s the term the French use when talking about the shape of their country. Hexagone French Cuisine, 495 Laurel Street, Bankers Hill, 619-236-0467. Open daily from 11am.

For fabulous and very French desserts and chocolates, Mille Feuille is your place at the corner of University and Fifth. Executive pastry chef Thomas Gèrard, comes from La Valencia in La Jolla, and being French knows his pastries. I’ve tasted a few: Opera (light coffee sponge cake, chocolate ganache and coffee butter cream, $6.50), apricot summer (coconut-pineapple and carrot sponge cake layered with orange-apricot cream cheese filling, $5.50) and lots more including a caramelized onion and cheese quiche ($5.50) and macaroons almost as ethereal as those found in Pierre Hermé’s Paris shop. For lunch there are sandwiches and from 2 pm to 4pm there’s high tea for $20. Mille Feuille, 3896 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest, 619-295-5232.

Barely two years old, Rannoosh the Middle Eastern restaurant next door to Mille Feuille, is closed.

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).

For dessert or a pick-me-up espresso with Calabria coffee beans (my favorite roaster on 30th at University) Cow-a-Bunga, at the foot of the Imperial Beach pier, makes fresh ice cream and sorbet. About six months ago, former Loews Coronado executive chef Fabrice Gaunin and his wife Nelly bought the micro-creamery. Let’s just say this is really good ice cream, not overly rich or sweet and worth the visit if you’re in the area. Most popular flavors are, you guessed it: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, though I loved the chocolate chip (lots of chips, not chunks). 10 Evergreen Ave, Imperial Beach, 619-628-0508.

It's Got Bite

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About San Diego's Food Scene

Buzz from the Bar: Point Loma and Bankers Hill

St. Valentine’s Day

Bits and Bites: Open and Closed in Hillcrest and Bankers Hill

A gem at the pier

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