666031 Tue Nov 10 06:45:56 -0800 2009 22 3 California 0 5169648 Spending a long weekend in San Diego for the first time. I'd love to check out some of the top spots in SD. Staying downtown and will have auto access if necessary but would prefer walk/public trans. Would enjoy: Any and all Mexican or South American food Seafood of any shape or size Any other cuisines or restos that are particularly good in the SD area. Thanks! Tue Nov 10 06:45:56 -0800 2009 24211 Ralphus 1 5169778 Not for food, but for best SD has to offer: JRDN (pacific beach) for sunset cocktail. Great 2-way bar; people-watching (inside and on the boardwalk); view of the Pacific; decent drinks. Eat some place else. My friend, former NYT cocktail columnist, loved JRDN when he was in town on assignment. Tue Nov 10 07:37:51 -0800 2009 5169648 154091 pickypicky 1 5170001 You'll want a car for Mexican food, the best of it is not near downtown. Places to check out: Super Cocina on University Ave. - homestyle Mexican cooking, very authentic. Dishes from all over Mexico's varied regions. Not a taco shop. Mariscos German truck on University Ave. - Mexican seafood, stellar. Try the smoked marlin taco. Aqui Es Texcoco in Chula Vista - Mexican lamb preparations. Tue Nov 10 08:56:06 -0800 2009 5169648 10809 Josh 1 5170186 Seafood, go to oceanaire, blue water or point loma seafoods. The later two give you more a 'san diego" experience. I have had the worst bar service in my life at JRDN. Twice. Beyond retarded. The sunsets are nice, although I wouldn't give credit to JRDN for those. Tue Nov 10 09:52:39 -0800 2009 5169648 155341 stevewag23 2 5170733 Never had bad service at JRDN. Or any worse than any other busy, popular bar in SD. Maybe if your attitude in person is similar to how to come across on chow, poor service may be a result of your impatience, intolerance or provocation? Tue Nov 10 12:49:53 -0800 2009 5170186 154091 pickypicky 3 5170764 Actually I had the worst bar service that I have ever encountered sitting at the bar. The bartender was more interested in checking his football pool (which he had sitting out on the counter) then getting us another beer. In fact, other patrons wanting at the bar almost went around the bar looking for more water. This was around 4 in the afternoon and not busy, maybe 7 or 8 of us at the bar. It was really attrocious. On the other hand, I have had excellent service sitting at the table and actually enjoy the food most of the time. Tue Nov 10 13:01:07 -0800 2009 5170733 50314 jturtle 3 5170795 No need to take shots at me. Or get defensive for a sub-par restaurant. I have heard tons of people say it is some of the worst service they have ever encountered. I have ordered tons of drinks in my life. I started going to bars at age 15. JRDN was the worst bar service I have even encountered. Simple as that. Tue Nov 10 13:12:51 -0800 2009 5170733 155341 stevewag23 2 5171569 Hahaha! I almost spit my beer on the keyboard when I read this. Too funny and pretty much on the nail's head. Beyond retarded, hahahaha. Here are my recomendations: Blue Water Grill Point Loma Seafood Cowboy Star Farm House Cavallon Wisknladel Marine Room Oceanaire, although a chain and you might get same experience in your area Kitchen 1540 Addison Market Roseville Urban Solice 3rd Corner Pappas and Tacos - neighborhood hole in wall Taco Rey - another neighborhood place for me Tue Nov 10 18:54:04 -0800 2009 5170186 375533 mjill 1 5170370 some great advice given...I would add Las Cuatro Milpas for lunch for some of the best carnitas and the salsa and flour tortillas are out of this world..close to downtown.. Candela's in Coronado for dinner..you can take the water taxi over from the Gaslamp. George's at the Cove in La Jolla is a great place for locals and tourists to watch the sunset, have drinks and dine...ocean terrace or bar is more casual. Marine Room for drinks and app's in LJ..high tide is a real show. I like the Fish Market downtown but only the oyster bar, sushi bar or the bayfront patio for drinks and app's...upstairs at Top of the Market is good but pricey. www.georgesatthecove.com www.marineroom.com www.candelas-sd.com www.thefishmarket.com www.sdhe.com Tue Nov 10 10:55:04 -0800 2009 5169648 97452 Beach Chick 1 5170441 Yakitori Yakyudori in Hillcrest and close to downtown. Had the uni and jellyfish recently. Excellent along with all their other offerings. Easily one of my top five places to eat in san diego. Tue Nov 10 11:13:08 -0800 2009 5169648 155341 stevewag23 1 5170528 Lots of requests from visiting 'Hounds, so definitely surf the board a little bit. Mexican- I second all of Josh's recs. You'll need a car to get to these locations, although transit is possible for Mariscos German and Super Cocina http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/661607#5125570 South American- check out Latin Chef in Pacific Beach. Their Peruvian dishes brought me back to my homestay in Lima. Seafood- Little Italy Farmer's Market (the whole market is a worthy stop) on Saturday mornings. Stop by the uni stand for fresh uni, grab some salami from Knight Salumi, pastry from Loic Patisserie, and coffee from the orange coffee truck. Other places to try- Sab-E-Lee does fabulous Thai (best I've had in SD and LA), Muzita or Asmara for Ethiopian, Toronado/Hamilton's Tavern for some of San Diego's best beers, Izakaya Sakura for Japanese small plates, Wine Vault and Bistro for fine-ish dining. San Diego isn't NYC in terms of food, obviously, but we have quite a few gems and you can always find a good meal here. Tue Nov 10 11:38:28 -0800 2009 5169648 93901 geekyfoodie 1 5170710 The Fishery in Pacific Beach or Blue Water (closer to downtown). Tue Nov 10 12:41:55 -0800 2009 5169648 1086716 mmjgam 2 5170742 No fresher seafood in SD nor better variety than The Fishery. Great wine list, good service, flexible and creative chef. Good reco. Tue Nov 10 12:51:54 -0800 2009 5170710 154091 pickypicky 1 5171258 As a former NY'er, would agree with, both, JRDN and The Fishery in Pacific Beach. Enough has been said on JRDN--very good meat BTW--but The Fishery also owns a wholesale operation and distributes to many of the leading seafood restaurants in San Diego, including Oceanaire (which is a chain--something that is taboo for a NY'er). For something unique but quite good and reasonable, I would also recommend The 3rd Corner in Ocean Beach. it is a wine bar that serves very tastey food and has a nice ambience. One of my favorites and a best value restaurant in SD with good quality. Not that big a fan of downtown, but if you do go and want to go strictly for the food then I would recommend Dobsons. Continental cuisine that is a favorite amongst the attorneys and conveniently located in front of Horton Plaza. Only Mexican restaurant I am a fan of is Los Arcos in Chula Vista. Not a tourist destination by any means, but they serve up some excellent Baja seafood and are owned by the same group that owns restaurants by the same name in Tijuana and elsewhere in Mexico....if you are brave and want real good Mexican food, I could steer you to Tijuana where you could enjoy great food--besides the Los Arcos location--at such excellent places as Cien Anos, La Differencia, and La Querencia....they even have a great Argentine steakhouse called Cheripan. Tue Nov 10 16:26:19 -0800 2009 5169648 12138 El Chevere 1 5171735 Below, a few of my faves. They all might be considered along the lines of “refined” casual dining. They all have their own personality. I like them because they’re among the more unique dining experiences in town, and in prime-time, each has a room that buzzes with good energy. Happy eating and enjoy your stay! The Linkery – A nationally-recognized farm-to-table experience. Features an eclectic menu of good, house-made sausages and other selections. Excellent craft beer and wine selections. Among the best excuses to visit the North Park neighborhood (where you’ll also find the abovementioned Urban Solace). Cowboy Star – Major meat emporium. Steaks, rabbit, sweetbreads. Cool décor. Downtown, but nicely off the beaten path. Cucina Urbana – The hottest new restaurant in town. Good food and menu variety. Good wines and good prices (nothing over $20). Feels a bit like a hip, LA restaurant, but a welcome addition. Always packed. You'll need a reservation. The Pearl Hotel – An uniquely California-casual gem with good food (mostly locally sourced, seasonable, blah, blah) poolside dining and Palm Springs modern ambiance. Best burger in town that no one knows about! Café Chloe – Downtown bistro with consistently good food and wine. Great for brunch, too. Candelas – Nouvelle Mexican that satisfies with very interesting flavors. The downtown location is nicely off the main downtown drag, and IMHO, has the best servers in town. Also has a hip lounge attached. Meanwhile, the Coronado location has similar food and great views of the water. Tractor Room - Small room, small menu and big ambiance. Great cocktails. Bring an appetite. The food is heavy and meat-centric. Not a place to find “light” fare. Tue Nov 10 20:18:30 -0800 2009 5169648 182292 Maxmdwinter 1 5171830 For "South American food" Berta's Latin American Restaurant could be an option. Its in old town and you could also take the trolley. Mangu downtown has a passable cuban sandwich, but I just saw on yelp that it is closed. I thought I saw it open a few weeks back so I haven't confirmed that or not. Tue Nov 10 21:20:51 -0800 2009 5169648 155341 stevewag23 2 5173739 One of my employees is an investor in Mangu. It's been used lately as more of an event venue than a straight restaurant. Could be the Yelper was by on day it was use for a private party Wed Nov 11 14:20:46 -0800 2009 5171830 10506 DiningDiva 3 5173832 Interesting. Their website is down and number not in service. Maybe they are going the super duper exclusive "in the know" route. I liked it when you could smoke cigarettes and get a glass of vino. If anyone who pulls the strings is reading this, go back to that. You have at least one strong customer. Wed Nov 11 14:55:35 -0800 2009 5173739 155341 stevewag23 4 5174066 Let's just say my employee will be VERY glad to get his investment back and be done. There were a ton of internal problems. I doubt super duper exclusive is on their radar Wed Nov 11 16:03:02 -0800 2009 5173832 10506 DiningDiva 5 5174230 I bet. Its too bad. Tell him to rev up the smoking room again. Hell, they do that, I will go there tonight. Wed Nov 11 17:06:39 -0800 2009 5174066 155341 stevewag23 1 5172850 Thanks a million everyone! I'll report back. Wed Nov 11 09:38:27 -0800 2009 5169648 24211 Ralphus 1 5191316 Reporting back. Day 1 - Mariscos German - AWESOME fish tacos, ceviche mixta and gubernador (?, shrimp and cheese). Loved this place. Neighborhood for Alesmith beer and dinner pairing - food was terrible. Cold and an entire 5 course tasting came out on one plate. Flavors weren't even good. Day 2 - lunch at pizza port solana beach - tasty sonana pizza with shrimp and clams, really tasty beers to match. Followed by a tasting/cheese plate at Stone, also solid. Dinner at Cowboy Star - best meal of the trip. Pork belly, foie and sweetbread apps were the stars. Pork dinner and rabbit also very good. Day 3 - Mad River Cask Beer Dinner at Linkery - food was very good and expertly paired with MR cask beers. Pumpkin Panna Cotta with Pumpkin Ale was my fav, wife liked the Pork Sliders with the IPA. Service was a little confused since we ordered two of each tasting pairing. Seems like a sandwich/pub sort of spot so there were issues getting the food timed correctly and paired with the right beers. Servers were very nice though and tried hard to make it right. I'd go back. Loved SD, loved the beer in particular. Wed Nov 18 08:21:34 -0800 2009 5169648 24211 Ralphus 2 5193244 thanks for reporting back! Wed Nov 18 21:01:06 -0800 2009 5191316 10853 daantaat