March/April mix

an diego posh on the pacific Dish on the multicourse tasting menu at Michelin-star restaurant Addison: caramelized cod, cruciferous, caviar and bonito butter

If you have a penchant for the beach and luxury travel, you can experience seaside San Diego without a fish taco or surfboard in sight…

taste tour

seaside sensation March/April mix

Grand Digs The tony enclave of Del Mar (30 km north of downtown) is peppered with gated communities. Here, the Fairmont Grand Del Mar (fairmont.com/san-diego) is a palatial property, accessed by a long driveway. The road winds alongside the hotel’s stunning Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole golf course before emerging to reveal the elegant Spanish Colonial, open-air courtyard and lobby. Lounge around one of the four pools, cozy up in the elegant library/games room or nosh your way through a collection of stellar cafés and restaurants. Star Ser vice San Diego’s very first Michelin star was awarded last year to Addison (addisondelmar.com). The food is divine, but the level of service needs equal recognition, executed by a stealthy army of elite servers who quietly glide through the room. Last June, Chef William Bradley eliminated the à la carte menu for a five- or 10-course tasting-menu-only format in the omakase tradition, where ultimate trust is given to the chef. Island Parad ise Located on Mission Bay’s Vacation Island, the spa at Paradise Point (paradisepoint.com) is nestled in lush, tropical foliage that seems more South Pacific than South Cali. The services also reflect unique, island-forward options, such as a Balinese massage or treatment soak in a traditional wooden Ofuro tub. Pink Lady Located across the street from the beach (and within barking distance of the famous sea lions), La Valencia (lavalencia.com) is seaside La Jolla’s pink grand dame. This hotel might be historic, but it remains current with contemporaries like the Kardashians. Du ck ing Amaz ing Juniper and Ivy (juniperandivy.com) is a beloved farm-to-table restaurant in Little Italy. Perennial favourites include the yellowtail (on the menu since it opened) and uni (dropped off fresh daily from a local diver who harvests them at 3am), but the must-order is the whole duck—free-range, happy Pekin duck from nearby Sonoma County. You’re excused if you leave the cutlery on the table and use your fingers. Instagram can wait. A New Realm In the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Convoy, Realm of 52 Remedies (52remedies.com) is an Asian-inspired speakeasy hidden behind secret doors within Common Theory Public House. Realm has quickly established itself as the place in San Diego for eclectic and beautiful cocktails that don’t shy away from unusual ingredients like dried mushrooms and salted cream cheese. And a new omakase-style cocktail tasting menu lets the bartender create bespoke cocktails based on your preferences.

—Catherine Tse c o c kt ail ph oto : am es Tra n & Oli v ia B e all; a dd i son ph oto : DY LA N + JEN I Explore San Diego’s high life…from haute to high octane… taste tour T beach & beyond if you go Dig deeper into San Diego’s high-end options: sandiego.org. en ory an diego Spot prawns at Juniper & Ivy Barquette d’endive, beetroot and blackberry at Addison above right Comprador’s Fortune at Realm of 52 Remedies San Diego’s wild side: the cliffs at Torrey Pines State Beach

bits + bites

Curb pangs with powerful bites Written + produced by Catherine Tse nack attack

1 Ready t o pop A new take on an old favourite, ActivPOP is organic popcorn that’s seasoned with charcoalinfused sea salt. And not just any sea salt —this is sun-evaporated sea salt from a Molokai Island Salt Master. With the added benefits of detoxifying charcoal, the black-mottled popcorn just looks cool. And no, the charcoal doesn’t come off on your hands—no one will know you’ve been snacking. activpop.com 2 Smart cookie Sometimes, it’s just not a sugar craving that needs feeding, but a texture craving. GO Raw’s sprouted cookies are satisfyingly crispy and crunchy, tricking your brain into thinking you’re chomping down on caramelized, crystalized sugar when, in fact, you’re crunching into crisped, sprouted, healthy seeds. Sprouting encourages seed germination, which makes the seed a lot more nutritious and easier to digest. This is your new cheat, no-cheat. luckyvitamin.com 3 so good These granola bars have such a satisfyingly, chewy texture, you’ll be double-checking the ingredients list for mention of marshmallows or HFCS. They contain neither, but they do contain one full serving of vegetables from six different sources: spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets and shiitake mushrooms. You’d never know it, though. These vegan, low-sugar, high-fibre bars taste, impossibly, closer to a candy bar than a traditional granola bar. madegoodfoods.com/ca 4 Ket o fr iendly These soft-baked bars are keto certified by the Paleo Foundation— because, you don’t always want to snack on beef jerky. These cookie-like bars contain 160 calories with a minimum of 13g of plant-based fat and only 15g of carbohydrates. Using real, organic ingredients like coconut, cinnamon and raspberries, these will help anyone on the keto diet avoid that mid-day energy slump. good2gosnacks.com 5 Sweet t oot h If you have an unhealthy relationship with sugar, Smart Sweets’ motto is, “Kick sugar, keep candy.” Their confectionaries look like gummies, taste like gummies, but don’t contain added anything: sugars, sugar alcohols, or artificial colours or flavours. These candies are coloured naturally from fruits and vegetables like pumpkin, carrot and spirulina (algae), and flavoured by plant-based sweeteners and natural fruit flavours. smartsweets.ca 6 Edgy Veggie Move over kale chips, cauliflower continues its world domination, now 6 gummies ! 5

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in the snack aisle. Yes, these are cauliflower crisps. They’re organic, non-GMO and gluten-free. Baked with real cauliflower, these earthy, crunchy snacks are enhanced with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and sea salt — a minimally processed chip that actually tastes like roasted cauliflower (but better, ‘cause they’re chips). hippiesnacks.com