San Diego Magazine‘s Best Restaurants Party
When: June 12, 6–8:30 p.m.
Where: Pirch, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite E1, La Jolla
Biased? Absolutely. Our annual Best Restaurants issue is here. And the party is a celebration of the winners of this year’s readers’ poll and my critic’s picks. Pirch has lavish kitchens all over their showrooms, and some of the city’s top chefs will use them to re-create some of the standout dishes from their restaurants. The list of chefs who’ll be cooking is currently embargoed, since the list of winners isn’t released until our issue hits newsstands on May 21. But every year it’s some of the best kitchen talent in the city.
Cost: $65
Andrew Bachelier + Travis Swikard Dinner
When: June 10–11
Where: Jeune et Jolie, 2659 State Street, Carlsbad
Jeune et Jolie is one of those restaurants—from the design to the plateware to the bar menu to the chef to the service—that raises the tide in San Diego dining. I spent two nights there for our most recent restaurant review, which you can read here. The next restaurant that should elevate the city’s food scene will be the one in the works from Travis Swikard, a native who spent 10 years as Daniel Boulud’s right-hand man, and will be opening his own spot in San Diego sometime in the next year. For two nights, Jeune’s chef Andrew Bachelier and Swikard will collaborate on an eight-course tasting menu focusing on Mediterranean and French cuisine. Not to be missed.
Cost: $95 (more for optional wine pairings)
More info: Email [email protected]
Gospel Rose Brunch
When: June 8, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Where: Provisional Kitchen at the Pendry Hotel, 425 Fifth Avenue
There’s a live gospel choir in one of the best, most modern hotels in San Diego. That alone is probably all the reason I need to mention. But I should mention their name: The Martin Luther King Gospel Choir, who sings to raise money for educational grants for San Diego high school seniors. The main attraction of Pendry’s dining is Lionfish, and it’s really good. But Provisional Kitchen under chef Brandon Sloan has impressed me on every visit. For this gospel brunch, he’s serving prosciutto-wrapped quail (with oregano lentils, rose petals, rose jus), strawberry pancake soufflés (with rose Chantilly cream), a red raspberry Greek yogurt bowl (with crispy quinoa, chia seeds, dragon fruit, and rose reduction), and rhubarb and rose salad (with a rose panna cotta, almond crumble, and local greens). It’s summer. And while I may groan at the phrase “rosé all day,” it’s one of my favorite styles of wine to drink—the awesome middle road between a crispy, dry white and a lightly structured red.
Cost: Depends on order.
The Best Food and Drink Events in May and June
Photo: Kambria Fischer Photography
