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Feed7 San Diego Restaurant Week Suggestions
Several "Best Restaurant" picks are partaking in Restaurant Week 2012
Posted Monday, September 10, 2012, 08:40AM
NINE-TEN COURTESY PHOTO
Restaurant Week returns on September 16th, featuring prix fixe menus at 195 different restaurants throughout San Diego. With 2-course lunches at $10, $15, or $20, and 3-course dinners at $20, $30, or $40, it's a fantastic way to discover a new restaurant and dine on a discount, but the overwhelming amount of options makes choosing the right destination daunting. Fortunately, several of the spots honored in the Best Restaurants issue are partipating in this year's event, making it a bit easier to hone in on some good grub.
By cross-referencing the SDRW options and this year's Best Restaurants picks, I narrowed the 195 locations down to 7 solid suggestions for San Diego Restaurant Week 2012:
1. Nine-Ten
Winner: Best Hotel Restaurant (Readers' Picks, Critic's Pick)
La Jolla, Dinner: $40
Nine-Ten is exactly the sort of place it makes sense to visit during Restaurant Week. For 6 days in September, the menu of seasonal cuisine gets deeply discounted, and you can score a 3-course meal for slightly more than you'd normally shell out for an entree. Some of the most intriguing dishes include pork belly spiced up with a Jamaican jerk rub, and two poultry picks: La Belle Farms duck breast, and a curried chicken roulade from Mary's Free Range Chicken. For dessert, the frozen blueberry mousse with corn ice cream, caramel popcorn, and crystalized blueberries, sounds sublime.
2. Truluck's
Winner: Best of the Best, Best Seafood (Readers' Picks)
La Jolla, Dinner: $40
If fish is your wish, you might want to dine as a 4-top at Truluck's to get a taste of every option on the seafood spot's RW menu. Otherwise, you'll be left with the potentially agonizing decision between superlump crab cakes, salmon béarnaise, parmesan-crusted sole, or crab-crusted whitefish. To start, there's lobster bisque or a salad, and for dessert, choose between carrot cake or light and luscious lemon meringue pie.
3. 1500 Ocean
Winner: Best Outdoor Dining (Critic's Pick)
Coronado, Dinner: $40
1500 Ocean's dinner menu is solid from start to finish, with no lame plate of mixed greens or dud of a dessert to detract from its deliciousness. Standouts include burrata bruschetta, Brandt Beef skirt steak, and ricotta fritters for dessert. It's worth the splurge to add a glass or bottle of wine, expertly chosen by the in-house sommelier. After dinner, burn off some calories strolling around the grounds of the Del.
4. George's California Modern
Winner: Best Vegetarian, Best Seafood (Critic's Pick)
La Jolla, Dinner: $40
George's wins for offering the most options: 9 apps, 10 entrees, and 6 desserts. Stand-outs include sea urchin spaghetti, roasted squab, and a warm chocolate tart topped with strawberries and cream cheese ice cream. Some of the more premium menu items carry an additional charge, but there are several tasty options to stay within the $40 price range... something that's impossible to do outside of Restaurant Week.
5. Siam Nara
Winner: Best Thai (Critic's Pick)
Mira Mesa, Lunch: $10, Dinner: $20-$30
This Best Restaurants pick has one of the most affordable SDRW menus, for both lunch and dinner. The $10 lunch includes two entrees, plus soup, salad, and an eggroll. A three-course dinner is $20, with a glass of house wine, or $30 with premium vino. Dinner includes a four item starter sampler, soup, and your choice of entree.
6. Bertrand at Mister A's
Winner: Best View (Critic's Pick)
Bankers Hill, Lunch: $20, Dinner: $40
Surf and turf sounds like the way to go at Bertrand at Mister A's. Start with the scallops, follow it up with the rib eye and short rib duo, and end with whatever sweet tempts you (strawberry shortcake, pear tartin, or milk chocolate mousse bars). There are solid options for all three courses, including veggie-friendly dishes like vegetable lasagna and a sinful mac and cheese topped with black truffle. Lunch is a smidge more casual, with options like a Kobe burger, salmon salad, and your choice of an appetizer of dessert.
7. Cowboy Star
Winner: Best Steakhouse (Critic's Pick)
Downtown (East Village), Lunch: $20, Dinner, $40
Cowboy Star is one of the best values during Restaurant Week. At regular prices, entrees average about $35-$40, so a three-course meal for $40 is a total steal. Start with the steamed mussels, move on to the petit filet, and finish with the sinful chocolate bread pudding, topped with butterscotch sauce and chocolate ice cream. Other entree options include bison with cabernet sauce, pheasant, and salmon with an Asian flair.
