november2011

NC16SanDiegoMagazine.comNovember2011

❯❯ NORTH COUNTY | First Bites

Swiss chef Michael von Euw has taken the helm

at Cavaillon, elevating the mood and menu more

toward fi ne dining. His culinary play with wild tur-

bot, line caught from the chilly waters off Brittany,

is worth the drive alone to Santaluz. Exquisite

truffled gnocchi complements the tender, pan-

roasted fi sh, a unique fi nd here in San Diego.

Almost two years a er its fi re, Calypso has

fi nally reopened its doors. The fi re-engine red

restaurant on Coast Highway in Encinitas has a

new updated look but the musical and culinary

soul—and clientele—remains the same, as

you’ll still fi nd salty surfers dining next to folks

from The Ranch, enjoying whole seabass baked

in rock salt, while tapping their toes to reggae

and jazz.

Solana Beach’s excellent urban winery, Carruth

Cellars, has joined the Winery Rails Trail party

train where oenophiles can spend a day riding

the Coaster and trolleys to winery outposts from

Oceanside’s Fi y Barrels Winery and Carlsbad’s

Witchcreek Winery to Solana’s Carruth Cellars,

Hacienda de las Rosa in Old Town, and the San

Pasqual tasting room in La Mesa.

Craving a traditional Sunday feast? Chef

Eugenio Martignago at West Steak and

Seafood is serving “Slow-Cooked Sunday

Supper,” a three-course leisurely family meal

featuring tender short ribs, osso buco, lamb shank,

and prime rib at an aff ordable $29.95 per person.

For those in the know, the new cool lunch spot

is Haggo’s Organic Taco in Leucadia, a walk-

up stand, set in a funky, pebble-strewn and

tomato vine-draped garden. A vintage dial

telephone, old photos of Jacques Cousteau,

Gumby, and a nod to Wes Anderson reflect

“organic entrepreneur” James Haggard’s sense

of humor and eclectic taste. The pace is relaxed

and the food is lovingly prepared with heirloom

organic veggies from Coral Tree Farm &

Nursery in Encinitas, natural corn tortillas, and

sustainable meats and fi sh.

Quaking from its rapid-fire success and

astounding numbers (can you say “over 450

covers a night”?) Burlap has now launched

their lunch and brunch menus so you can try

Brian Malarkey’s playful cuisine on the sunny

wrap-around patio and actually hear yourself

speak. Brunch includes “Sunday Bloody Sunday”

with seven-spice shrimp, bacon-dashi grits,

and a poached egg; and the demonic “Cashew

Sticky Bun” with cream cheese glaze. Plans for

myriad more social-dining incarnations are in

the works: Herringbone (La Jolla) and Gingham

(La Mesa) anyone? // ANN WYCOFF

Restaurant débuts, menu changes, and trend tracking

New &

Notable

Truffl ed gnocchi with

pan-roasted fi sh at Cavaillon

Chef Eugenio Martignago

at West Steak and Seafood

ANDREA BRICCO, JOEL MUZZEY