The life-correcting corn pound cake with honey caramel popcorn may make you forget that Vistal, at the new InterContinental hotel, is a seafood concept. The chef is top local talent Amy DiBiase (ex-Tidal). Her silent partner is F&B Director Paul McCabe (L’Auberge Del Mar), one of the best chefs the city’s seen. Vistal’s huge patio gawks at the bay and the USS Midway, accommodating locals and guests who sip drinks like the mole old-fashioned (bourbon meets chocolate and chiles).
The must-try is DiBiase’s pickled black cod with confit fennel, malted pumpernickel, preserved plum, and horseradish aioli (pictured), not to mention those delicate, cider-glazed pork cheeks. For the plant crowd, it’s roasted beets pickled in thrilling ways ad infinitum, drizzled with walnut-beet green pesto. What a view, what a duo.
901 Bayfront Court, Downtown
Now Open: Vistal
Vistal’s pickled black cod with confit fennel, malted pumpernickel, preserved plum, and horseradish aioli | Photo by Paul Body
