San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Dallman chocolates
Jsix chef Christian Graves' summer menu features new, most gluten-free options, including “Olives have Pits— Fish have Bones” (half a branzino, aka European sea bass, plus Castelvetrano olives, grilled romaine, yellow wax beans and almond-mint pesto), Fennel Duck and other goodies. jsixrestaurant.com
Crush (437 S Hwy 101, Solana Beach) opened on July 20. Under the direction of executive chef Jason Colabove, the menu features Italian fare and fine wine, like its Chico, Calif., counterpart. I’d give you the website, but it’s not working. If you’ve ever lived in northeast San Diego County, you’re aware of the area’s abundance of avocado groves. Soon, a restaurant featuring that bounty will open in Escondido. California Avocado Grill (136 W. Grand Ave.) is the brainchild of Bonsall-based avocado rancher Alex MacLachlan. Menu items will include Build Your Own Guacamole, Chicken Avocado Cashew Salad, BBQ Mango Fish Burrito and Artichoke, Roasted Red Pepper pizza— all featuring avos. calavogrill.com
The Coronado Grub Sprawl takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8. You can get a free wristband at The Brigantine Coronado (1333 Orange Ave.) The Brigantine, Miguel’s Cocina, La Terrazza, Costa Azul and more restaurants will feature $5 tastings. grubsprawl.com/coronado
From 6:30 to 8 p.m. each Wednesday, Dallmann Fine Chocolate Boutique (2670 Via De La Valle, Suite A270, in Del Mar) will host in-store chocolate tastings, for $35. Upcoming tastings feature chocolate and salt (Aug. 3), chocolate and wine (Aug. 10), chocolate and port (Aug. 17) and chocolate and beer (Aug. 31). Reserve seating at dallmannconfections.com.
The Red Door Restaurant & Wine Bar (741 W. Washington St. in Mission Hills) just celebrated its second anniversary. Interesting tidbit: The cozy farm-to-fork spot was designed by owner Trish Watlington’s daughter, Sarah.
Got food news? Write to brookl@sdcitybeat.com.
