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Cloak & Petal Blooms in Little Italy

Feast on pan-Asian small bites, craft cocktails, and sushi

By Troy Johnson March 6, 2018

Cloak & Petal Blooms in Little Italy — Photo by Paul Body

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES Know the Neighborhood Where to eat, where to drink, and what it's like to live there. EXPLORE THE GUIDES

Hey, nice tree. The newest entrant into Little Italy’s culinary hive has two white-and-pink cherry blossom trees in full bloom behind the central bar. Easily seen from the street, it’s a come-hither centerpiece for the 7,500-square-foot Cloak & Petal, a collaboration between Isamu Morikizono (chef-owner of Tajima ramen restaurants) and Cesar Vallin (ex-Prospect Bar, Rooftop La Jolla).

Their chef, TJ—who spent time honing his skills in Japan—has designed an epic small plates menu with pan-Asian bites, like Jidori chicken karaage, braised pork belly, salmon sushi, elk sashimi, Wagyu rolls, even an indulgent surf-and-turf pairing monkfish liver with foie gras.

The bar crafts cocktails that enlist Japanese ingredients like violets, clove, cardamom, sesame, and of course, Japanese whiskey. A sushi bar off to the side handles the nigiri, sashimi, and rolls program. The land of the rising sun is shining in San Diego.

1953 India Street, Little Italy

cloakandpetal