Assuming you have to drive to your hotel, perhaps take a brief shower to refresh etc and drive to Addison, 1:45 hours are not much time with the traffic
Gotta say- homework is a A+ in honors restaurant selection.
So often forums get: iamcomingtosandiegowhatsthebestplacetoeat?
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" I think it’s still convenient for something fairly close to the Zoo and the grounds look pretty nice, even if the Museum will be closed at that time."
It is close to most of the museums in Balboa Park, especially the Museum of Art and the Mingei. It is not particularly close or convenient for the zoo unless you are going to stop there for lunch first and then go on to the zoo. In any event, you’ll have to park twice and there will be a lot of walking involved.
Nah, Panama 66 really isn’t that long a walk from the Zoo. Especially if you park over by the carousel, then you are pretty much equidistant from both. May also want to check out The Prado.
My advice, don’t miss Tadokoro. It’s a unique experience anywhere. Laid back, yet meticulous and formal at the same time. Definitely quieter and more relaxing than almost any high end sushi place I have ever been. Make reservations at the bar. You won’t be dissapointed.
Also for Coronado I would consider Stake or 1500 at the Del. Stake (steak and seafood) is relatively new and the same ownership as LeRoy’s (casual French). The Del is as old as it gets and the historic location alone makes it a worthwhile experience (perhaps for lunch?).
As for Ironside’s raw seafood offerings, it’s pretty good, but we greatly prefer Water Grill http://www.watergrill.com/. I think it will scratch that itch. Brigantine oyster bar is also an old favorite especially the fish tacos.
I agree - there is much less walking involved between the Zoo and that area of Balboa Park than there is walking within the Zoo.
Or, even within Balboa Park.
A hearty second for Tadokoro. Order Omikase, they have several price points to choose from, and then let their staff walk you through each delectable dish.
Good suggestions in Coronado, but on their fourth day, they’re leaving and looking for a place for lunch; neither 1500 Ocean nor Stake is open for lunch.
True, but at the Hotel Del there is Sheerwater and ENO which both serve lunch, and Leroy’s (same owners as Stake) has a very nice and well executed lunch (we enjoyed Catalan Shrimp, the burger and lobster roll).
Now if the OP is open for lunch somewhere off the Island then opportunities abound . . .
If they are feeling adventurous would suggest perhaps Las Cuatro Milpas, El Salvadoreno, or even one of our great food trucks (Nine Seas, El Pescador, Mariscos German, etc).
Romesco’s, Don Chido, or Comun, would be my choices for a sit down type lunch place. Maybe even Underbelly if I was burnt out on Mexican inspired cuisine.
Hey guys,
Thanks for all your feedback and suggestions. SD was pretty enjoyable and I have a good idea of what to do for future visits. It was a short trip and I think my favorite meal was at Bracero Cocina. We ate pretty well but I don’t think we got the best foot forward at George’s and Addison because we did the regular 4-course menus, and I’m pretty sure the TBL3 and Addison’s tasting menu are entirely different experiences. I didn’t do it exactly right to get the most out of the trip but fwiw we still had a rather enjoyable time, and I appreciate all your input.
Ironside:
Ironside Fish and Oyster was a bit of a disappointment; I should’ve listened to you guys on this one. Oysters were kind of mixed - some were pretty good, some had poor shucking. Clams were ok but this is no Connie & Ted’s, my gold standard in California. Also not as good as Swan Oyster Depot in SF. Fish and chips was probably the best thing, but at times the fish and the fries were quite dense. The salmon with sunchokes and mushrooms was ok but it tasted a bit off. FYI, happy hour (from 3pm-6pm) consists of $1 house oysters and 25% off sparkling wines, but the whole menu is also available. A popping place with good energy and charming decor, but the food is secondary, imo. Also, my iced tea tasted strangely of ocean water, but they replaced it quickly. I think the lemons or ice were resting on the shellfish or something. FWIW, service was good; I just wish the food were better. Not a bad place for a date or meeting with friends if you order right, but we came for the food and were let down a bit.
Bracero Cocina:
Bracero Cocina was great. They were out of the huitlacoche tamal and a few other items I wanted (also note that the lunch menu is a bit shorter), but I enjoyed some nice Baja California style mariscos and a couple of tacos. Specifically, I liked the hallo de cacha (raw dayboat scallops), simply dressed with lime, cucmber, red onion, and sea urchin chiltepin salt. Sweet, good quality scallops, even if I didn’t get much from the sea urchin. Also liked the “Sabina Bandera” Tostada, an homage to a popular tostada from Ensenada’s “Mariscos La Guerrerense,” with two types of chopped raw clams (actually a huge mound of clams…very filling), some sea urchin (not the greatest but it’s ok), and avocado. Steak and lamb neck barbacoa tacos were fantastic. I’d definitely come back here, especially with a bigger group. Ingredients were quality, textures were just right, and the flavors were set to the right pitch of acidity and heat.
George’s at the Cove, California Modern
George’s was by and large pretty good. It’s a bit more casual and “90’s-chic” than I expected, but both the service and food were pretty good fwiw. We only did the 4-course ($75) menu, which was plenty of food (since we were stuffed from lunch), but I have no doubt that the TBL3 offers more interesting food. Still, we generally enjoyed their regular menu, and while I don’t think it’s destination dining, it was rather tasty and the flavors were pretty nice. I’d adjust my expectations accordingly and say that the 4-course is pretty good for some semi casual/comfortable “fine dining,” but not a ton more than that. However, I’m sure the TBL3 is a completely different experience, at least from what I can gather from pictures and the opinions of others. With that said, $75 is about right so no complaints there, and we had an enjoyable time.
The Ocean Terrace is a casual bar upstairs to grab a drink and some views of the water, but my beer tasted weird.
Addison:
Firstoff, the service here is fantastic from start to finish. Really polished, gracious, and they make you feel really VIP. We ordered the 4-course menu, which, considering a few additional little bites here and there, was enough food for sure. Overall, we came away with the impression that the kitchen has some good technical skill at times (proteins were cooked perfectly and textures were spot on), but the technique was a little better than the flavors here. Menu is rather safe and a bit predictable (miso black cod with bok choy in dashi; kanpachi with cucumber and sumiso, panko-fried sweetbreads with porcinis and parmesan). A few times the flavors didn’t really work - apple gel with salmon didn’t come together with the sorrel sauce as we thought it would, cod was a bit too sweet and the dashi didn’t have much depth - but perhaps we’re being a bit too critical here. In any event things were nice but nothing came together in a real interesting or delicious way, except the foie pot de creme with passionfruit gelee and Belgian waffle with aged black garlic (clearly the best dish of the night). I get the sense that the kitchen is capable of some good things and I think the full tasting is definitely the way to go here. From what we experienced with the 4-course, I’d expect it to be perched at about 1 Michelin star rating. Based on the significantly older clientele, perhaps the 4-course menu is a bit safe here and they’re holding back a bit. The service and experience is great enough that if I were to celebrate a nice occasion with the right people we might return for the tasting menu, but at $235, it’s priced level of some truly great restaurants, so we’ll see. The food alone didn’t really intrigue me but perhaps the full tasting is at another level; I’m not really sure on this one yet but we still had a nice experience because the service was so good.
Sushi Tadokoro:
I didn’t really do it right because we got a table (I was the only sushi eater in my party and I wasn’t comfortable with sitting at the bar for a full on omakase this time). However, the sushi was still pretty good. I know it’s really hard to evaluate sushi from a table, but it was still pretty nice. The sushi was reminiscent imo to the level of Sushi Nozomi in Torrance, CA, where I’ve eaten numerous times at both the bar and table. Best bites were kawahagi w/ its kimo and hirame no kombujime. Anago and hikarimono were not bad. The technical details were pretty nice, no complaints from what I could tell, and if I’m in San Diego again, I’m coming back for a full-on experience at the bar, the proper way. Also, the cooked food was certainly decent so it’s fine to come here with non sushi eaters.
I won’t go into details about breakfast much because they were mainly at the hotel. Also didn’t make it to Porkyland and we skipped Panama 66.
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Many thanks for your detailed remarks. Hope to hear more when you next visit here.
Thank you for taking the time to come back and report 
Thanks for reporting back.
I know all too well that feeling one gets when uncontrollable circumstances force your party to sit at a table instead of the counter at a sushi-ya. Your cred precedes you here - we know you were dying to try the omakase.
Addison’s does indeed have great service, now that I recall my visit.
Fantastic report.
I think sometimes we should just be happy with a good meal (or meals), and not feel disappointed when we fail to achieve complete liftoff, especially when visiting a city with a set itinerary that includes things aside from eating and dining.
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Thanks for the report Mark…
Solid on staying at the Fairmont Grande Del Mar…
I would hit up the Rancho Valencia Resort next time and hang in the Ranch.
Ponies are running in November in Del Mar, so it would be a good time for you and your family to head on back down.
Aloha
Thanks for the kind words, guys. Right on, JL and ipse! I had a good time nonetheless and this was more of a vacation-first, food-second kind of trip. Plumeria - thanks for the tip on Rancho Valencia, looks good, but I probably won’t return quite so soon!
Do people like Bracero Cocina as much as I did? That’d be the first place I’d return - I wouldn’t be DD this time, so I could just splurge on much tacos, tequila, and mariscos.
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I think Bracero is one of the most important new restaurants in San Diego from a culinary culture point of view, and one not to miss. It’s recent opening marked the second entry by Javier Plascencia north of the border, with excellent, well prepared and presented offerings that benchmark the emerging “alta gastranomia de Baja” style here. I’m glad you made it there and enjoyed it; I sure do.
I like Bracero, tho’ I’m not quite as high on it as Doc Chow is. I really like their cocktails. Each one was well conceived, well executed and extremely drinkable.
I ate upstairs with the full menu and had a very good meal. It is NOISY upstairs making conversations difficult. There were some service missteps that I hope have been worked out.
I’ve eaten a lot of Javier Plascencia’s food (mostly in Mexico) and like his approach to food very much. He is a master at extracting great flavor from seemingly simple foods. It would definitely be worth your time and the border hassle to try either Erizo for casual seafood or Mision 19 for relaxed fine dining in TJ or Finca Altazano in the Valle de Guadalupe. Bracero only scratches the surface of what the chef is capable of doing, and already doing extremely well south of the border.
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I’m just chiming in with the others to thank you for your detailed report. It’s very valuable to get a different perspective on our local cuisine.
Bracero is great IMHO… Next time try the camerones and bone marrow sopes and the grilled octopus. Both amazing . Also anything porky that Javier touches turns to porcine gold!
Do Water Grill next time or perhaps better yet, try TJ Oyster Bar for some flavorful seafood traditionally prepared in a casual environment with extremely reasonable pricing. Great value.