Read Ranch & Coast Virtually Anywhere
Issue link: http://ranchandcoast.uberflip.com/i/1546931
Also living up to copious amounts of online hype is By e Sea. We reported on the opening of this new addition to the Coronado dining scene last month, and it has been a tough table to book ever since. I snuck in right at opening time, which offers the best chance of getting a table, and tried a few dishes. e space has an easy-breezy, Ralph Lauren-meets-Coronado-beach vibe. e walls, floors, and furniture are all whitewashed — practically in sunshine — creating a soft canvas for the gorgeous cuisine. I am still thinking about the Lamb Cavatelli. What looks like a simple dish is anything but, let me tell you firsthand. With homemade pasta, lamb, fennel, chives, and breadcrumbs, it is a delicate masterpiece. e standout dish — and a must-order — is e Mezze Platter. A variety of dips and crudités arrives alongside hunky, house-made pita bread. Hummus, herbed labneh, creamy feta dip, miso baba ghanoush, pickled vegetables, and briny olives make for a fabulous way to begin your meal. e pita is made to tear and plunge into the dips, so don't be dainty. Be sure to order a couple of extras — you will need them to finish every last bite. Or you could do what I did and polish off the remaining dips with your spoon. ey are simply too good to go back uneaten. A darling spot that needs to be on your downtown radar the next time you have an event — or head to the theater — is a new wine bar called Wine Girl. e interiors are bright and playful, with lots of flowers, pink and white, and marble — exactly befitting of its name. You will find this cheerful shop chock-full of "madres" pre-Padres games, and on weekends it fills up with well-dressed date-night-outers. Wine Girl offers beer as well as wine cocktails, along with a very approachable wine list. e small menu of plates, including cheese, wood-fired pizzas, and charcuterie boards, is designed to be shared and paired with the wines. e staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and of course, with a name like Wine Girl, it's very Instagrammable. Chef JoJo Ruiz has always been a favorite of mine, and the new menu at Lionfish only bolsters my opinion further. e cuisine is described as Modern Coastal Cuisine and features a lot of seafood, with products found along our California coastal waters and farms, along with some steaks and sushi that round out the menu. I often stop in for a hand roll or two before a ballgame or event but recently enjoyed a couple of dishes that were more than noteworthy. e Mexican Corn Soup, made from roasted corn, lime, and chile powder, and garnished with micro cilantro, is both rich and light at the same time. I also really liked the Korean-style Bulgogi Short Rib Skewers. Sweet, savory, and garlicky, they are packed with umami and go great with a beer. Like most of you, I am a creature of habit. Much like my standing order of the burger, I will also almost always order a pollo asado burrito if it is on the menu. e Pollo Asado Burrito at South of Nick's in Carmel Valley is the size of one of my son's Jordan 4's — it is a monster. When my server placed one in front of me, I laughed and said, "Well I will definitely need a to-go box." (I didn't.) It's a behemoth of a burrito, but somehow, it's not heavy and filling. It is stuffed with mostly shredded white chicken breast, a small amount of cheese, and some pico. e red sauce is light, not too spicy, and I have managed to eat the entire thing on two separate occasions. By The Sea Wine Girl Lionfish South of Nick's BY THE SEA: PHOTO CREDIT KIMBERLY MOTOS LIONFISH: PHOTO BY ROBERT REYES WINE GIRL, SOUTH OF NICK'S: PHOTOGRAPHY BY TERRYL GAVRE