Photography by John Dole & food styling by Maria Sparks
Go to page 3 to read food critic Troy Johson’s picks.
Baby Back Rib & Chicken Dinner from Phil’s BBQ
With more than 5,000 ballots submitted and nominations in 43 categories (that’s 215,000-plus votes!), we give you the 2012 list of best restaurants in San Diego County. Plus: Critic Troy Johnson’s picks.
READERS’ PICKS
Best of the BestTruluck’s Best New RestaurantSlater’s 50/50 Best ChefBrian Malarkey, Searsucker Best ViewIsland Prime/C Level Best Cheap EatsCarnitas’ Snack Shack: |
Best BarbequePhil’s BBQ Best ServiceSearsucker Best Happy HourSlater’s 50/50 Best Hotel RestaurantNine-Ten Best Outdoor DiningGeorge’s at the Cove |
Best Kid-FriendlyCorvette Diner Most RomanticThe Marine Room Best Neighborhood RestaurantGingham Best DessertsExtraordinary Desserts Best BurgerSlater’s 50/50 |
Best PizzaBronx Pizza Best Small PlatesCafé Sevilla Best ChineseDel Mar Rendezvous Best ThaiLotus Thai Cuisine Best Beer SelectionSlater’s 50/50 |
Fish tacos at South Beach Bar & Grille
FISH TACO Bracket
Looks like a different voter takes to a bracket—when given options (as opposed to the write-in survey below), readers chose Rubio’s hands down.
Best CoffeeCaffé Calabria Best Fish TacoSouth Beach Bar & Grille Best FrenchBleu Bohème Best SandwichThe Rubicon Deli Best JapaneseSushi Ota Best Asian FusionBurlap |
Best MexicanTalavera Azul Best GreekCafé Athena Best VietnameseLe Bambou Restaurant Best Vegetarian(Tie) Del Mar Rendezvous, Sipz Fusion Café Best SteakhouseDonovan’s Best ItalianBencotto Italian Kitchen |
Best IndianRoyal India Best CocktailsCraft & Commerce Best brewery/BrewpubStone Brewing Co. Best Wine BarWine Steals Best BreakfastThe Mission Best SeafoodTruluck’s |
Best BrunchBurlap Best Business LunchSearsucker Best Food TruckMIHO Gastrotruck Best Casual GourmetCroce’s Best SaladTender Greens Best Late Night MenuSlater’s 50/50 |
CRITIC’S PICKS
The Creepy Guy at Table 5 By Troy Johnson
I’ve been writing about what we put in our mouths now for six years. I’m the guy in the corner booth who appears to be scribbling on his pants. It’s a mind-blowing honor, and a health hazard. I wake up hungry, having dreamt about skipping along the shore hand-in-hand with a drop-dead short rib. Or doing the backstroke through the creamy center of a giant burrata. I also have nightmares where my foot just rolls off into the street, dislodged by gout.
Food criticism should not be a pulpit for taking out latent grade-school trauma on small business owners. Done right, it’s an artful interpretation of a story. Restaurants are stories.
My average week includes a dozen or so meals around San Diego. I have a strict “two-bite rule.” Otherwise my torso would prevent adequate sunlight from reaching earth. But it’s not uncommon to schedule three lunches in a single day.
Restaurants are more than food. Before we take a single bite, we eat with our eyes. The Brawny Man décor at The Lodge at Torrey Pines makes my incisors sweat in anticipation of slow-braised animals. The minimalist hush of Wa Dining Okan urges the saying of grace. Craft & Commerce’s street art warns to expect the unexpected, and that sanity is tenuous. Restaurants are a break from our TPS report-filing, parking ticket-paying daily drudgery. If I wanted to eat in an uninspiring environment, I’d eat leftovers in my garage.
But of course, taste matters most. To me, that means three things: top-notch ingredients, balance (acid-fat, heavy-light, sweet-savory, soft-crisp), and living up to promises.
I don’t expect the Kebab Shop to shave truffles, and I don’t expect Addison to “loosen up.” I do my best to interpret the execution of visions.
San Diego’s food scene is drastically underrated. Compared to indoctrinated foodie havens like San Francisco and New York, our city is the Wild West. Major improvements happen daily. Making a “Best Of” list is like ranking family members. I had Mariscos German cued up for Best Mexican until a carnitas taco at Rudy’s—a Solana Beach box that sells Red Bull and ciggies, too—changed my mouth forever. It’s all subjective. I didn’t overthink it. I just gut-reactioned my most memorable meals of another year of excessively masticating in San Diego.
Eat well, support ethical foodmaking, and respect the makers even if it tastes like farm-fresh garbage.
Sincerely,
The Pants Scribbler
Best of the BestAddison Best New RestaurantThe Lion’s Share Best ChefWilliam Bradley Best ViewBertrand at Mister A’s Best ServiceTruluck’s Best Happy Hourâ¨BICE Ristorante Best Cheap EatsThe Kebab Shop Best Late Night MenuQuality Social Best Hotel RestaurantNine-Ten Best Wine ListAddison Best Beer SelectionHamilton’s Tavern Most RomanticBO-beau Kitchen + Bar Best Neighborhood RestaurantThe Linkery Best DessertsPark Hyatt Aviara |
Best Fish TacoMariscos German Best BurgerBankers Hill Bar & Restaurant Best PizzaBasic Best FriesThe Smoking Goat Best SandwichMona Lisa Italian Food Best SaladTender Greens Best FrenchMistral Best ChineseDumpling Inn Best JapaneseWa Dining Okan Best ThaiSiam Nara Best Asian Fusionâ¨Gaijin Noodle + Sake House Best MexicanRudy’s Taco Shop Best GreekCafé Athena Best VietnamesePhuong Trang Best Vegetarianâ¨George’s California Modern |
Best BBQGingham Best SteakhouseCowboy Star Best ItalianBencotto Italian Kitchen Best Indianâ¨Surati Farsan Mart Best SeafoodGeorge’s Best BreakfastSnooze Best BrunchLe Fontainebleau Best Business LunchJsix Best Outdoor Diningâ¨1500 OCEAN Best Food TruckMIHO Gastrotruck Best Casual GourmetUrban Solace Best CocktailsGrant Grill Best CoffeeCaffé Calabria Best BreweryStone Brewing Co. Best Wine BarThe 3rd Corner |