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Two Men and a Dog |
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THREE CITY WORKERS arrived simultaneously for lunch one bright noon at Lucha Libre, the West Washington Street taco shop designed as a frisky, highly entertaining tribute to the professional wrestling of Mexico. Two thoughtfully parked their trash truck around the corner on San Diego Avenue; Mayor Jerry Sanders presumably arrived by car——then again, the trolley stops nearby. Like most patrons, His Honor ordered a couple of tacos (at $2.25 each, the excellent, thoroughly south-of-theborder carne asada and puerco adobado tacos rate as the tastiest steals of 2008) and hauled his tray to the sun-drenched terrace. A goateed constituent beamed when he recognized the ce leb rity at the next table and immediately strolled over to present a guided tour of his Tijuana-style hot dog. This is a triumph of street food nearly as gaudy as lucha libre wrestling: A bun encases a bacon-wrapped pup dressed with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise (a clear-cut case of condimentia if there ever was one). The look on his face indicated that Sanders, a Lucha Libre first-timer who vowed to return, might not honor his pledge to bite a dog on a subsequent visit. The voter, if such he was, gobbled his lunch happily and ambled off toward Gelato Vero.
IT SEEMS ODD BEYOND RECKONING that an eatery operated by celebrity chef/restaurateur Wolfgang Puck should open without fanfare, but such is the bizarre nature of the biz. Located in the La Jolla Playhouse complex on the UCSD campus, Jai by Wolfgang Puck is the chef’s second effort in San Diego; in the mid-1990s, he opened a Wolfgang Puck Café in Mission Valley Center that apparently out-glammed the location. Quite pleasantly staffed, Jai serves an inspired menu of oft-spicy, Asian-style fare. And while you don’t need theater tickets to dine, reservations are essential when you have to make a curtain. Playhouse regulars often fill the majority of tables and create a convivially clubby atmosphere. Wags among them insist that even though Jai translates as “heart,” it’s an acronym for “Joan and Irwin,” as in Jacobs, whose many philanthropies include important gifts to La Jolla Playhouse . . . Romesco, the appealing South Bay “Baja Med Bistro” operated by Tijuana’s savvy Plascencia family, has commenced serving breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday and Sunday only. Frankly, noon seems an early cutoff time for the attractive menu of fresh fruits and juices, homemade marmalades, freshly baked sweet rolls, Oaxaca tamales, chilaquiles and (wow!) shredded lobster machaca. Hotcakes with bananas and cajeta caramel are another good reason to enjoy a weekend drive down Bonita Road.
DO I HEAR $15? About to enter its fifth year, San Diego’s Restaurant Week (now a pair of weeks, next set to sizzle in January and September 2009) originally offered three-course dinners at leading restaurants for a uniform $30. Then certain toptier joints decided a $40 fee provided freedom to offer more luxurious selections. Now a select group of establishments will set the price at $20, a figure inclusive of three courses . . . Arterra, the San Diego Marriott Del Mar dining room that succeeds by avoiding the tone of a hotel restaurant, originally boasted big-time chef Bradley Ogden as chef/partner and talented Carl Shroeder (now chef/partner in his admirable Market Restaurant + Bar) as executive chef. Change doesn’t hurt: New Arterra toque-wearer Jason Maitland blazes his own path with daring menus that list such old-timey American favorites as seared beef tongue and roasted bone marrow, as well as a novel luxury he calls “truffled popcorn sweetbreads” . . . In Del Mar proper, chef Paul McCabe has settled comfortably into his new kitchen at the redone L’Auberge Del Mar. Last time around, the restaurant was named for J. Taylor, who founded the town. Now the hotel’s Camino del Mar address is memorialized by the name 1540 Kitchen, where McCabe presents seasonal “farm-to-plate” menus.
Side Dish
A Room with a View
INNOVATION COMES IN SMALL PACKAGES. In Little Italy, a stylishly remodeled former motel now known as Porto Vista Hotel & Suites offers delights to those who venture off India Street. Pressing the “4R” button in the stainless steel elevator results in a quick ascent to The Glass Door, a stunning space whose room-length outdoor terrace frames a bold view of Little Italy, the bay, Point Loma, Hawaii, China and——on clear days only——Tahiti. The view is breathtaking yet intimate, whether you sit at a tall table outdoors or in the comfortable room hung with Moroccan lanterns. Unlike eateries that emphasize scenery over cuisine, The Glass Door serves good chow thrice daily, commencing with all- American, egg-centric breakfasts and progressing to an imaginative lunch list and a dinner menu with international influences——as well as a highly presentable, good-value $12 burger that makes for a juicy evening out (1835 Columbia Street, 619-564-3755).
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