BEST OF
Seat in the Booming House of Oceanside SEABIRD
Chef Who Earned This AR VALENTIEN
Restaurant You Need a Docent For ARTIFACT The Mingei got a $55 million updo and solved Balboa Park’s head-scratching lack of a restaurant scene. Restaurateur Tracy Borkum (Cucina Urbana, etc.), chefs Tim Kolanko and Jeff Armstrong, and local designer Jennifer Luce insert the modern stunner with a menu as international as Mingei’s art (berbere- spiced crispy potato, a dumplings menu, and Spanish tapas). mingei.org
Very few right-hand chefs stay at a restaurant for three years, let alone 13. But Kelli Crosson—farm kid turned chef—got to study under one of the greats: Jeff Jackson. And this year she arrived. Jackson handed her the keys to one of the city’s most iconic SoCal- French kitchens and one of the first to truly, no-bull practice farm-to-table. Time to meet the new boss. lodgetorreypines.com
The Oceanside culture explosion we all predicted for the last 100 years is now. And Seabird has the perch of perches. Sit on the patio at the Shore Room, gaze at the infinity pool (our bad, that’s the Pacific Ocean), drink a Yacht Rock (spicy tequila, chartreuse, honey, celery, and lime), stare at the Top Gun house (it’s a pie shop now), take someone to bed or lose them for a while. theseabirdresort.com Brunch Worth the Speeding Ticket LITTLE FRENCHIE We love Coronado, but we don’t go for the raging nightlife. So hit up this mighty French bistro for brunch. Little Frenchie (from Blue Bridge Hospitality, who gave us Liberty Public Market) has the croques, benedicts, crepes, and quiches—but it also has the Francophilic self-respect to offer snails before noon. Just watch your speed (CPD gives out the most
tickets in the country). littlefrenchiesd.com
Best Restaurant Next to a 7/11 That’s Not Sushi Ota KINGFISHER
The fancy-jungle wallpaper alone is worth the visit. The family behind Crab Hut tapped chef Jon Bautista (ex-Georges at the Cove, Common Theory) for a Vietnamese/pan-Asian fine-dining star in a tiny strip mall in Golden Hill. It’s all pretty great, but especially the house-smoked duck (also dry-aged in house) that sells out every night. kingfishersd.com
96 AUGUST 2022
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