AI’s got sewing needles, and it’s making dolls of us all. The city is putting a parking meter in your driveway. And oh, great, there appears to be (another) war now. When presented with these particular circumstances, San Diego Magazine editors believe in food therapy. If you’d like to join us in burying our heads in the polenta, here are the best dishes—and one cocktail—we found across San Diego this month.
Katsuya Ko
Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice
If you’ve ever ooohed and aaahed over spicy tuna crispy rice before, you have chef Katsuya Uechi to thank. He’s credited with inventing one of the nation’s favorite dishes out of his Brentwood restaurant in 2006—an effort to persuade a diner who said they didn’t like sushi (the deep fryer always wins hearts). Katsuya has since evolved into a global brand with restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, the Bahamas, Dubai, and now San Diego. With the opening of a more casual offshoot at Westfield UTC, locals can try his original recipe that started it all without having to battle LA traffic. It is the best version I’ve ever tasted. –Nicolle Monico
Alforon
Lamb Fatteh
Alforon was one of the first restaurants in San Diego to bake traditional Lebanese flatbread, but chef-owner George Salameh didn’t just rest on his manakish—he perfected it (try the za’atar manakish, he shipped over 3,000 pounds of the best za’atar from Lebanon). At the counter, you’ll see 200 sticky notes, most handwritten in Arabic with the same sentiment: “Thank you for the food that reminds me of where I’m from.” Middle Eastern locals asked him to create even more recipes from the old country, and now his menu reads like a collection of regional memories. Try the lamb fatteh: ouzi lamb over hot garbanzo beans, covered with cooked garlic-mint yogurt, brown butter, almonds, pine nuts, and flatbread. –Troy Johnson
Oh My Dough
GF Cinnamon Roll
While living in Michigan during the pandemic, Susan Tomas began selling dairy- and gluten-free donuts out of her home. Eventually, this led her to San Diego. After a quick stint owning a health-focused cafe, she pivoted to Oh My Dough—a pickup- and delivery-only service selling gluten-free bread, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and
other baked goods made in her kitchen. Her roll is a little more on the doughy side than you may be used to (I suggest a few mins in the airfryer/oven), but is just rich, fluffy, and creamy enough to satisfy any sweet tooth. –Nicolle Monico
Mastro’s Ocean Club
Butter
Mastro’s is the newest glass city of show-dining along the bay. The brand became the de facto heavyweight in the steak world over the last few decades, and this is its seafaring offshoot (Mastro’s is oft-credited as the first in the US to popularize the seafood tower, which they present here with dramatic, Spielbergian flair). There’s live music. Wine everywhere. Gatsbian chandeliers. Get the broccolini, simply sauteed and shockingly good. I didn’t love the lobster Mac, but people do (me, I’m people). Definitely order the Australian Wagyu Tomahawk chop for the table, and go medieval on the trio of butters. Butter is life, but especially these churns: red wine Wagyu butter with red wine reduction in a veal demi; bone marrow butter with shallots and Marsala; and black truffle butter. Best trio since Nirvana. –Troy Johnson
Dora Risorante
Alici Marinate
Anchovies are the invisible hand of flavor for some of the world’s most famous dishes (Caesar salad, puttanesca, bagna càuda). But their rare headliner gigs get mixed reviews. They wear the ocean like a cologne; so proud of their identity as seafood that it’s nearly a form of nationalism (credit their high glutamate and oil content). But the ones at Dora—the dead-sexy mosaic-and-brass spot from World Pasta Champion and Cori Pastificio chef-owner Accursio Lota—overcome all hesitations. Filets are marinated in lemon juice, then drizzled with three infused olive oils—sundried tomato, basil, and a parsley-mint Castleveltrano with toasted sesame seeds. Eat that on house-baked focaccia, then catch a play at La Jolla Playhouse (100 feet away). –Troy Johnson
Deckman’s North
Guinea Fowl
If you tried chef Drew Deckman’s North Park restaurant when it first opened and it felt a tad off mark, time to go back. One of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings in the last few years, the Michelin-star chef was known for wild, woodsmoked cooking in Baja. But he launched a delicate, refined, white-jacket affair that needed its hair mussed up. Deckman realized that, and properly mussed. Renamed Deckman’s North, he’s bringing that rougher, down-homier food that made him famous in Mexico. Like the guinea fowl—a more interesting chicken (different animal, but you get the point). It’s served over a polenta made with corn from Valley Center’s TAJ Farms that Deckman’s team mills in-house (fresh-milled polenta with great corn redefines the sport), plus za’atar carrots. Sit on the tiny sunset- facing rooftop, the only rooftop dining option in North Park. –Troy Johnson
Fathom Bistro, Bait, Tackle
Explodo Dog
There was once a famed wiener spot in LA called Oki Dog, where punks hung out after shows. Punks like Dennis Borlek. Born and raised in San Diego, Borlek’s dad served on submarines in the Navy. After years managing the city’s groundbreaking craft beer bars (Liar’s Club, Hamilton’s, Small Bar), Borlek saw a for-lease sign on a tiny hut on the side of a Shelter Island pier. From the window, he could see his dad’s sub base. Thirteen years later, Fathom Bistro is a San Diego oddity and pride—a glorified hot dog stand and craft beer bar on a locals’ fishing spot. Get the Explodo Dog, made with a bacon-wrapped Vienna Beef dog, pepper jack cheese, mustard, and housemade kimchi (David Chang’s recipe, an ode from Borlek to Oki Dog). –Troy Johnson
Clem’s Tap House
The Manhattan
“And you have to try the Manhattan!” my friend said as we leapfrogged across Adams Avenue toward Clem’s Tap House, lured by the promise of its world-class chicken wings. (She wasn’t wrong.) As a vodka-gimlet girlie, all I ever feel is shame about the drink named after one of my favorite cities, since I don’t actually like it. Clem’s changed that. The Manhattan comes in a glass the size of the Brooklyn Bridge—plus a sidecar for overflow. Bartenders fill it to the brim, then walk it verrrrrrrryyyyyy sloooooowly to your table without spilling a drop. It’s a carnival act without a net, and my friend was right. You have to try the Manhattan. –Aaryn Belfer
Little Lion
Brunch Tacos
When the night before did you bad, sometimes brunch needs to be ordered with a touch more discretion. Enter yam, soyrizo, and black bean tacos. Yes, you might be eyeing Little Lion’s juicy bistro burger or the coffee cake (eh, order that, too), but there’s something about an honest plate full of roasted tubers and legumes to give you back your self respect. It doesn’t hurt that they also happen to be perfectly tender, sweet, and spiced for the gods. –Samantha Lacy
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