Restaurants are the new bait of the retail herd these days. For its impressive overhaul, Flower Hill Promenade pulled in Urban Solace chef/owner Matt Gordon with his third restaurant, Sea & Smoke. Blowing out a wall of the former Paradise Grill, the subterranean den (with a painting of Johnny Cash giving the world the bird) spills out into a patio that’d charm the most precious among us. The share-plate menu keeps local Pilates bodies in mind with salads (vanilla-scented beet) and vegetarian options (achiote-marinated cauliflower). But go predator and try Gordon’s excellent wood-roasted Maine lobster with jicama-corn chili and drawn butter. A dish for Del Mar, and Puerto Nuevo. 2690 Via de la Valle, Del Mar
Sea & Smoke
