Obviously politics and government are two of my passions. Most friends also know that eating is one of my bigger interests. In fact, my wife and I love finding great places to eat so much that we recently started a blog to share our thoughts on food. Since it is Friday and this blog’s catch phrase is “food for a border town’s thought,” I thought I would lighten things up and write about the ever growing dining options available to San Diegans.
I first moved here in 1997 after spending some time in Boston for grad school. At the time, the difference in restaurant options between San Diego and Boston (or LA/Orange County my previous home) was a bit depressing. We had some decent Mexican places and a few other highlights, but we didn’t have a deep bench of restaurants to choose from. In the last 10 years, things have changed dramatically. On our blog, we have a list of favorite restaurants that numbers around 50 — and there are many we are still waiting to try with new places opening every few weeks.
Most recently, a bit of a restaurant renaissance has taken place in the mid-city area. The Linkery in North Park began this awakening about two years ago, and since then several others have followed suit. Some of our favorites include: Appertivo and Vagabond in North Park, Jayne’s Gastropub in Normal Heights and Café Chloe in the East Village. These all represent fresh cuisine options in the city that are casual, reasonably priced, have great ambiance and most importantly, excellent food.
Everyone knows that certain cities (New York, San Francisco, Chicago) are associated with great dining. Traditionally, San Diego has not been thought of in this way. With the advent of this new cadre of restaurants (and others throughout the county), perhaps visitors will be drawn to us for more than just the beach and the weather. And even more importantly, those food loving San Diegans (and there are many of us), need not leave our city for a good meal.
I’ve mentioned some of our favorite restaurants in town … What are yours?