somehow, that minor first-world suffering also feels a bit magical. On the verdant, shaded plant-wall patio out back—which has been the somewhat secret oasis of central San Diego for over a decade, when this place was the beloved Jayne’s Gastropub—two jazz musicians lightly strut and pluck while diners slurp oysters with absinthe foam. There’s an old wooden piano. If you’re not charmed, you may be a bit broken in places. Wormwood is the newest project from the owners of mezcal haven Tahona, a mezcaleria-slash- Mexican restaurant that brought a little modernity to Old Town. Like their first project, this house is organized around spirits. First, the spirit of Jaynes, whose gift for elegant quainthood still lingers. There are new flairs—massive mirrors, slick faux taxidermy—but the subway-tiled floors and dark wainscotting are still there, the soul of a much-missed icon preserved. The other spirit is absinthe. When opened, Wormwood was billed as “San Diego’s first absinthe bar.” That’s a tad reductive, because the kitchen is loaded with talent. Group culinary director Janina Garay and executive chef Danny Romero worked together at Michelin-star Addison, and before that, the now-defunct James Beard-nominated Bracero—and their French-Mexican menu is special. But at almost every table in the 1,700 square-foot restaurant are absinthe towers—ornate water challices with four spouts on each side. Servers crouch to explain how to absinthe: place a sugar cube on a brass absinthe spoon, slowly release a trickle of water, which dissolves the cube into the absinthe below. In the glass, a white cloud blooms (called “louching,” which just sounds devious). Drinking absinthe, of course, causes you to hallucinate and
TOP: The "show" is the absinthe tower, delivered with multiple kinds of absinthe and a server who explains the whole mythical process. BOTTOM: Culinary director Janina Garay in full tweezer mode.
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