Escape to San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival Nov. 16-23
Rick Scott
For the 11th year, America’s Finest City is laying out the red carpet for eight days of wine and food-related festivities fit for Dionysus himself. San Diego Bay Food +Wine Festival will be hosting events ranging from celebrity chef demonstrations, pouring award winning wines, spirits, and beer, and of course offering some of the tastiest kitchen creations in the region.
If you’re one of the over 10,000 lucky attending the festival, you’re in for a treat because the organizers have really outdone themselves this year. They’ve woven an intricate series of over 20 events throughout the city of San Diego. Combining people and products from across the globe, the country, and the city, and creating a splendid representation of what the laid-back metropolis has to offer. A Mediterranean climate is the perfect atmosphere for over 200 of the world’s best wineries, breweries and spirit companies campaigning to quench your thirst. Master sommeliers are set to lead a duo of ‘Blast from the Past’ tastings; starting with the first five growths of the 1855 Bordeaux wine classification to a sampling of the great Spanish wines of Vega Sicilia’s Unico from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Not to mention a 1,000 point tasting of ten, 100-point wines. Not too shabby.
As far as the food goes, 70 of San Diego’s finest restaurants are congregating for the duration of the festival as well as over 30 gourmet food companies to add zest for good measure. There is a star-studded lineup stacked with chefs and food personalities with resumes containing accolades from James Beard, Antonin Careme, Top Chef, amongst others. The San Diego Bay Food and Wine Festival has created an equation that is sure to deliver. Great wine, great food and amazing weather equals one happy camper.
EAT: The colorful culinary scene in San Diego is brimming with talent and flavor. Located in the heart of the historic Gaslamp Quarter, Chef Brian Mularkey’s Searsucker is gaining headlines and hungry customers alike. The New American food coming from the kitchen changes daily and is a great place for either a casual lunch during the day or a fine dining experience after the sun goes down. Another Top Chef alumnus who’s opened up shop in San Diego is Richard Blais and his Juniper & Ivy restaurant located in Little Italy. The enormous space is situated within earshot of the city’s airport, but you’ll be hard pressed to hear a flight overhead once the place starts jumping. Blais’ restrains himself from using too much molecular gastronomy, but his creativity still shines.
Staying in Little Italy, Prep kitchen is the tent pole of the aforementioned burgeoning culinary scene. A short walk upstairs from the street into the restaurant space and it will be abundantly clear why. The décor is warm and inviting, and the food on the plate follows suit. This place is busy as soon as the door opens, so make reservations or take advantage of their late night happy hour. Set a short drive from downtown in beachside La Jolla, Nine-Ten is a jewel within The Jewel. This award-winning restaurant takes residence in the Grand Colonial Hotel and serves unpretentious fine dining food fit for any gourmand in the know.
DRINK: If San Diego were proficient in just cookery, it would undoubtedly be a significant feather in its cap. Yet there’s a lot shaking North of the Mexican border, and these are the places where you’ll find delicious elixirs flowing nightly. As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do…and in this case, the Romans are drinking it up at one of the coolest wine bars in the country. Downtown’s Syrah Wine Parlor has an Alice in Wonderland theme that is neither over the top nor understated. You’ll literally have to find the door that is set into a wall covered in foliage. Yet once you do, the fall down the rabbit hole will definitely be worth the effort.
In the heart of Gaslamp, you’ll find two establishment cut from the same cloth. Prohibition and Noble Experiment are creating the atmosphere you’d expect to find somewhere in Manhattan or a noir film from the 1940’s. Prohibition takes their cocktails and booze quite seriously. Don’t expect body shots on the bar. Expect other worldly flavors you’ll want to savor instead of shoot. The Noble Experiment could just as easily be called the Noble ‘Experience,’ because they’ve created a speakeasy like no other. You’ll feel pampered and taken care of, but you’ll need to email them beforehand to get the password to get in.
Right next door to Prepkitchen is an East coast oyster bar that is a scene all to itself. Ironside isn’t being overshadowed by their avant-garde neighbors because they are standing just as tall. The bottles of alcohol scale the wall all the way to the vaulted ceiling and the bartenders use every square inch of space at their disposal. Their signature craft cocktails are only overshadowed by their oyster shooters that feature everything from champagne to gin paired with freshly shucked oysters.
Also, outside of downtown is Polite Provisions, a University Heights manufacturer of local tonics, elixirs and cures. These guys not only meticulously source ingredients for their drinks, but also the vessels in which to enjoy them.
DO: For those not in the know, the aforementioned Gaslamp refers to San Diego’s Historic Gaslamp Quarter. A waterfront ‘Boom Town’ that was once home to a few gambling halls owned by Wyatt Earp is now the lifeblood of San Diego’s downtown renaissance. This area is now home to unique shopping and dining experiences as well as the hometown baseball team’s stadium. A short drive from downtown is Balboa Park, where you’ll find a number of cultural centers and museums that Orson Welles used for exterior shots in Citizen Kane. Walk along the many paths and get lost in the surrounding gardens and nature exhibits.
San Diego is, of course, known for its numerous beaches that run up and down the coast. The most famous of these beaches is Mission Beach, home to one of the last wooden roller coasters on the West Coast. In a weird twist of fate, the amusement ride is right next door to the Flow Barrel, which is the only man-made wave of its kind in the USA.
Pacific Beach is a great place for beachside eats, shopping and people watching. Tanned bodies saturate the landscape here more than anywhere else. For those looking to catch some serious waves, Windansea Beach in La Jolla is a spot where locals and visiting pro-surfers flock for the famous shore break. For a mellower beach excursion, and just a few minutes up the coast, is La Jolla Shores. The calm demeanor of the waves creates the perfect place to scuba, paddle board, kayak or surf. For an off the beaten path adventure, hike through Torrey Pines State Reserve and down the steep cliffs to Blacks Beach. Famously known as the ‘Nude Beach,’ this secluded section of sand is a perfect place to get away from it all, but bring your bathing suit because birthday suits aren’t allowed.
Two great neighborhoods with two distinct styles are North Park and the above mentioned La Jolla. North Park is known for its counter culture and alternative lifestyle inhabitants, but don’t let that deter you. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and this is where you’ll find local artists and business owners proudly flying their freak flag. Polite Provisions is located nearby, so it’s a good excuse to go explore.
For a higher-brow walking experience, La Jolla is known as The Jewel and for good reason. The affluent seaside community occupies rolling hills located right on the Pacific Ocean and was founded as San Diego’s first resorts. Not much has changed, as tourists and locals alike frequent the area for the shops and restaurants, or to sit in one of the many cliff side cabanas to watch the sunset.
STAY: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad place to stay in San Diego, and that includes sleeping on the beach. The majority of the events will be taking place in and around the Embarcadero downtown, so you’ll have your choice of spots. The accommodations we highly recommend lay inside the Hotel Palomar. Luxurious urban appointments mingle with modern art, as this is an exceptional place to hang your proverbial hat. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the US Grant Hotel makes our list as well. Eleven stories make up the hotel, yet many more stories have been made and fabricated within these celebrated, and some say haunted halls. Named after Ulysses S. Grant and built by his son Ulysses Jr. I’m sure neither of them could have imagined the 5-star luxury hotel it has become in modern times.
Those looking for housing outside of the hustle and bustle of downtown should look no further than the Hotel La Valencia in La Jolla. The iconic pink hotel stands sentry over the La Jolla Cove below. Opened in 1926 and designed to highlight Spanish architecture, it was the preferred place for Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston and Ginger Rogers to shack up back in the day. After all these years and a facelift or two, the Pink Lady, as it’s affectionately called, is still known to house some of Hollywood’s elite.