With the rare distinction of being a non-Italian restaurant in a district known for its pizzas and pastas, Indigo Grill (a member of the Cohn Restaurant Group), stands apart from its neighbors in Little Italy, San Diego.
As a sports-themed family restaurant that doubles as a nightclub on weekends, La Jolla’s BarFly is often buzzing with activity.
With a capacity for about 300 people and plenty of floor space, reservations aren’t necessarily needed except during the holidays, according to co-owner Ben Tashakorian. The brick-accented dining room has an array of seating options, including large, semicircular booths that can hold up to six or seven people, cozy couches and polished tables with glowing candles. At the bar, customers can casually browse the selections of spirits and the 20 beers on tap, which include Stone and Karl Strauss.
Craving sweets? Need a fancy cheese platter for an impromptu party? For Aroma Cafe, addressing such issues is a piece of cake.
WIth a full-service bakery facility in the back of the establishment — in addition to a kitchen — Aroma caters to everyone, from dine-in customers to wedding parties.
Whether it’s dipping an appetizer into a cheese fondue or diving into a four-course meal, The Melting Pot offers a blend of dining experiences under one roof.
It starts with selecting the perfect setting. The bar and heated front patio are the centers of socialization — customers can commemorate happy hour and catch the latest sporting event on TV. Also downstairs, there’s a festive party room and booths in the dimly lit main dining area that easily allow for family-style dining, and a back patio that is occasionally the scene of special events.
It began as a place to get takeout and these days it’s also a hot spot to chill out. Prepkitchen has evolved through the last few years from a tiny establishment in La Jolla into a full-service restaurant with three locations in San Diego County. Its objective: To offer the same quality fare as its sister establishment, Whisknladle, but at more “neighborhood-friendly” prices and a casual atmosphere.
It might be a little easier to dine outdoors at La Jolla restaurants this summer, thanks to proposed legislation by District 2 Councilmember Kevin Faulconer. His draft, scheduled for a San Diego City Council vote this summer, would make it easier and cheaper for restaurants to obtain permits for sidewalk dining.
An evening at Pacific Beach’s Caffe Bella Italia is not to be rushed. The establishment embraces the Slow Food movement, a return to traditional eating habits that eschews the fast-food dependence that has taken over numerous cultures.
A grand jewel of La Jolla took a final bow and ended its celebrated run amid much love and applause Feb. 14, 2013, when guests crowded the Whaling Bar at La Valencia Hotel for one last hurrah!
Whether sunlight is streaming through the multi-paned windows or votives are illuminating the tables, Rancho Valencia’s Veladora is always glowing. The restaurant — whose name means “candle” in Spanish — conforms to the traditional hacienda style of the property with its rich colors and natural materials, yet there’s a hint of new age. By day, it’s vibrant — there are orange and yellow place mats on the tables. The multicolored hues of the real butterflies in the $1.1 million, 84-by-84-inch “Imploration” art piece by Damien Hirst are brilliant against the neutral-toned wall. But at night, it’s dramatic and romantic, with flickering lights cast from the hurricane lamps and fireplace. In the background, jazz music can be overheard.
Naturally, there are patios on Lamont Street in Pacific Beach. But then there is The Patio. Located midway between two of the area’s busiest thoroughfares — Garnet and Grand avenues — the restaurant is unexpectedly found on the corner of a predominantly residential street. This casual neighborhood eatery is where urban chic meets the beach, shorts and flip-flops are as acceptable as formal gowns and heels, and age knows no boundaries.
North Coastal News
