4 CAFE HUE HONEYDEW GELATO Next time you’re on
Food & Drink HOT PLATES Get Some SDM staff shouts out our favorite food finds this month BY MATEO HOKE, JENNIFER IANNI, TROY JOHNSON, MIMI LE, NICOLLE MONICO, WILL RIDDELL, AND AMELIA RODRIGUEZ andwiches. Tacos. S’mores. Good ol’ American breakfasts. When the weather in San Diego takes on its (admittedly minor) winter chill, often all we want is a really delicious, occasionally Michelin-recognized take on the classics. Here are 15 local dishes that hit the spot for us this month. Go get some. S
the Convoy strip, head to this little shop. I don’t typically do dessert, but the
velvety honeydew gelato hits the perfect mark on the sweet scale. Get it on top of a crepe or waffle or add it into a tea float. Flavors switch out often here, but you can find the honeydew every couple weeks or so. –ML
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LITTLE FRENCHIE CASSOULET
Whether art, punk, or food, the best creations often come from struggle. Cassoulet historically began as “peasant” food, made by people short on money but rich in ingenuity. Chef Matt Sramek’s classic riff is phenomenal: duck confit cured overnight in salt, thyme, and citrus, served over white beans and pork belly cooked in duck stock made from the bones. –TJ
PUESTO FILET MIGNON TACOS Okay, okay. Admittedly, we’ve written about Puesto a few times. But I’m not sure you appreciate 5
6 mignon wrapped in crispy melted cheese, avocado, and pistachio- serrano salsa. One of the city’s best. –TJ the acuteness of just how good this taco is. I wasn’t aware. And it hit me like a joy hammer recently. Marinated filet
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PÂTISSERIE MÉLANIE VIENNOISERIES As a plain croissant enthusiast, it takes a lot—like, say, my favorite nuts and fruits—to get me to choose a flavored version. So, I found myself rendered powerless when faced with the pistachio croissant from North Park’s Pâtisserie Mélanie. I further gave into desire after realizing there was a Danish- like strawberry diamond, too. –JB
THE ROSE WINE BAR ESPRESS-YA-SELF Espresso martinis are the name of the game these days. At the Rose, you pick your own poison (vodka, mezcal, or bourbon) to mix with coffee liqueur, cold brew, chocolate-mint tea, and aged rum cream. It’s definitely sweet, so skip the dark liquors to make it less so, but when you need a way to wind down without going to sleep, this is it. –NM
LIA’S LUMPIA LUMPIA
One of the most likable mother-son duos have opened a permanent shop in Barrio Logan (their OG food truck was on Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race ). Mom Benelia hand-rolls paper-thin lumpia, and son Cristian applies some of the techniques he learned cooking at Water’s Fine Catering and Searsucker. The result? Gossamer-fine Filipino pastry filled with deliciously seasoned meat (they’ve got vegan rolls, too). –TJ
24 NOVEMBER 2023
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