Meyer Lemon Risotto @ A.R. Valentien
Best Things I Ate This Month: May 2016
For next month’s dining review, we checked in at A.R. Valentien, the signature restaurant of the Lodge at Torrey Pines. It’s a world-class staff over there, headed by exec chef Jeff Jackson, chef de cuisine Kellie Crosson, and pastry chef Olivier Bioteau. One of the best things we tried was this risotto, made of Meyer Lemon, which has a natural sweetness. But it was the puree of ramps—that magical veg that only has a seasonal window of about three weeks every year, tasting almost like a garlic-onion hybrid—that really set the dish off. Find ramps and love them. Here is one place to do that.
11480 N Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla
Macarons @ Le Parfait Paris
Best Things I Ate This Month: May 2016
Le Parfait is going to be a contender for best bakery in San Diego for a long time to come. I first got wind of it when one of San Diego’s top chefs, William Bradley of Addison, told me he’d started using their bread. And at their Downtown location, they have a ton of sweets that’ll satiate. But the macarons are especially fantastic, including the Madagascar vanilla, a basic, simple bit of awesome.
555 G St, San Diego
Lupini Beans @ Monello
Best Things I Ate This Month: May 2016
Gearing up for our annual Best Restaurants issue, I revisit some of my favorite places just to remind myself how good they are or discover that they’ve fallen. Monello in Little Italy definitely has not fallen. And though there are so many good options in the menu, one of my favorite things are their simple Italian snack. These waxy lupine beans, sprinkled with a delicious herb and salt mix. One of my favorite snacks in San Diego.
750 W Fir St, San Diego
