Famous-chef restaurants are dicey. The “name” often designs the menu, trains staff, and then never sets foot in the restaurant again. We have to believe Juniper & Ivy is different. Richard Blais—Top Chef All-Star winner, molecular gastronomy wiz, and gourmet burger-ist—now lives in San Diego. With J&I, he and partner Mike Rosen have turned Little Italy’s 90-year-old Helix Wholesale warehouse into a wooden, steely stunner. Calling it a “left coast cookery,” Blais is focusing on food from Baja to Vancouver. Expect a touch of the science cooking he’s famous for (liquid nitrogen, sous vide), but it sounds like Blais wants to do fewer magic tricks at J&I, and more well-braised, West Coast soul food. 2228 Kettner Boulevard, Little Italy.
Juniper & Ivy
Juniper & Ivy
