I recently spent a weekend in San Diego checking out some major hotel renovations (more on this in our Winter issue), visiting Balboa Park, and eating. Lots of eating. Coming from Los Angles, one of the things I appreciate most about San Diego’s culinary scene is the wide variety of restaurants packed into the compact Gaslamp Quarter and other parts of downtown. That closeness means if you have groups staying at one of the convention hotels they can easily walk to any of scores of restaurants.
While in San Diego, I enjoyed an outstanding dinner at Grant Grill in the historic US GRANT Hotel. The single best dish I had during my entire time was the night’s special soup, a briny New England clam chowder with chunks of clams, potatoes and purple cauliflower. I’ve been dreaming about that, and the rosemary-flecked boule that was served in the cast-iron pan in which it was baked. Executive chef Mark Kropczynski is preparing food that’s as elegant and comfortable as the room itself, with its cozy banquettes and period chandeliers. Adding to the evening’s pleasure were The ArchTones, a trio led by Archie Thompson, who performed a mix of classic songs from Frank Sinatra to the Beach Boys. Grant Grill has several options for group dining, including the wine vault room with seating for 12; a full or partial buyout of the main dining room, which can seat up to 110, and a reception for up to 100 in the Grant Grill Lounge.
My farewell culinary experience was Sunday brunch at Searsucker San Diego, a 15-minute walk from the Manchester Grand Hyatt where I was staying. It’s the flagship restaurant of chef Brian Malarkey, who will be familiar to cooking show fans from Bravo TV’s Top Chef and ABC’s The Taste. We were spoiled by the staff here—always a good indication of how a restaurant will treat its special groups. I’ll be honest, I would not have ordered the freshly made sticky bun and doughnuts as starters, but both my guest and I were delighted when they arrived. When I couldn’t decide between the green eggs and ham (pork belly and poached eggs atop a brioche bun) and the crab-cake benedict, our very solicitous server brought both. Yes, it was a very indulgent meal; my only regret was that I had to pass on the pitcher of mimosas since I was driving straight back to LA. Group dining at Searsucker includes a private dining room that seats 35; a buyout of the bar area for 40 seated or a reception for up to 100; and a full restaurant buyout that can accommodate as many as 350.
