The USA will once again very shortly open to travellers from the UK AND with the Michelin Guide recently announcing its newly starred California restaurants – San Diego has now become the home of four new Michelin starred restaurants, and you should definitely check them out!
San Diego is the home of top class food – the four new starred restaurants are just an addition to its delicious Cali-Baja scene; San Diego now has 11 total restaurants in this category.
San Diego stands in the middle of two powerful influences: the California fare distinguished for its devotion to using fresh local ingredients and constant pursuit of renovating its cooking techniques, and Mexico’s Baja Med cuisine, a food revolution that began in Tijuana, Mexico and is gaining worldwide recognition for combining traditional Mexican ingredients with those of the Mediterranean. San Diego’s culinary landscape blends these two influences into a Cali-Baja experience.
- Addison (San Diego) has two stars, one was awarded in 2019: Chef William Bradley continues to flaunt his impressive skills at this iconic, standard-setting dining room, and his talents are more tangible now than ever before. Addison’s menu while constantly evolving also retains the chef’s signatures.
- Jeune et Jolie (One Star — Carlsbad): Partner John Resnick and Executive Chef Eric Bost are behind this well-orchestrated French restaurant oozing with style and elegance. This cooking displays a mature direction, with solid ingredients, unique combinations, and beautiful presentations.
- Soichi (One Star — San Diego): Named for Chef Soichi Kadoya, who honed his skills at Old Town’s Sushi Tadokoro, this intimate Japanese restaurant has quickly made a name for itself in the University Heights neighbourhood.
- Sushi Tadokoro (One Star — San Diego): Chef/owner Takeaki Tadokoro, along with young chef Tatsuro Tsuchiya provides diners with a delightful experience. Attention to detail is a hallmark, as sauces are homemade and the fish of the day rests within a wood box awaiting very special treatment.
So what is Cali-Baja cuisine?
With such close proximity, San Diego and Baja complement each other perfectly. Restaurants such as Puesto in Seaport Village and La Jolla, King & Queen Cantina in Little Italy, and Blind Burro in Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter serve up fundamental Baja ingredients such as lobster, chicharrón (pork rinds) and cotija cheese. Even San Diego’s own seafood fast food chain, Rubio’s, became famous nationally for bringing Baja fish tacos to this side of the border.
Other notable restaurants creating delicious, fresh Cali-Baja cuisine include Galaxy Taco in La Jolla, where Trey Foshee, chef of the legendary George’s at the Cove, offers gourmet tacos and an impressive selection of mezcal and tequila, and Coasterra on Harbor Island where fresh seafood and Mexican classics are served in a beautiful bay side setting.
