november2011

NC14SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011

❯❯ NORTH COUNTY | Review

bar area sports a 30-person communal

table for convivial daily happy hours

both early and late.

The creative team has concocted a few

keen sippers like the El Patron, smooth

reposado mingling with lime, strawberry,

basil, and Patrón Citrónge—a lively lit-

tle ode to tequila. Organic “skinny” cock-

tails, like their mojito (at 120 calories

a pop), blend organic Crusoe rum with

mint, fresh lime, caramelized pineapple,

and coconut water for imbibers deter-

mined to keep their svelte fi gures.

Chef Jason Colabove delivers Italian

The new restaurant and

lounge wakes up the culinary

scene in Solana Beach

Crush

ROBIN JOLIN

WITH THE DEMISE OF BLANCA, and

its ongoing culinary black hole, Solana

Beach has been in dire need of new eat-

eries, so the arrival of Crush was highly

anticipated and, now, much appreciated.

The tired interior of the old Pacifi c Coast

Grill has been transformed into a mod-

ern lounge and restaurant with savvy

details like Hillcrest artisan Gustav

Rooth’s fabulous chairs and tables, styl-

ishly handcra ed from wine barrels, a

clear nod to the restaurant’s moniker

and thoughtfully curated wine list. A

fi replace cozies up the lounge, while the

Burrata

Venus clam

linguine