News for Restaurants in San Diego March 2009 Archive Search / Openings / Closings / Chef Shuffle / News Bytes / Culinary Events / Wine Dinners / Sign up for our free, monthly newsletter / News Archive RESTAURANT NEWS Openings Vela, which means "sail" in Latin, showcases global cuisine from myriad coastlines. German-born executive chef Patrick Dahms honed his culinary skills throughout Europe and worked at the prestigious St. Regis Resort, Aspen before landing in San Diego. Intriguing eats include lobster Cobb salad, market oysters with a Bloody Mary sorbet, kurobuta pork shank with roasted baby apples and pomegranate cinnamon crème. Vela, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, 1 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101, 619-564-3333.   News Bytes Sweet & Savory Deal Crescent Heights Kitchen & Lounge is offering a prix-fixe menu Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. Sample chef David McIntyre’s modern California cuisine in a three-course menu that features seasonal products. Starters include spring pea soup with black trumpet mushrooms and house-cured ham and mixed greens with nuggets of blood orange. Entrées feature pan-roasted chicken with fingerling potato puree or wild mushroom risotto. A lemon-blueberry pound cake with vanilla bean gelato is a sweet finish. The cost is $40; wine pairings are an additional $12. Crescent Heights Kitchen & Lounge, 655 W. Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101, 619-450-6450.   Odysea Lounge Makes a Splash Named for the Greek warrior Odysseus, the new lounge at the Hilton Bayfront is offering up a liquid adventure in cocktails that boast unusual names and ingredients, such as the "Helen of Troy" (Krome vodka with St. Germaine Elderflower and white wine). Non-alcoholic sippers called "innocents" feature drinks such as "Athena," a refreshing blend of blackberry, sage and lemon soda. A comprehensive absinthe program can be found at Odysea as well. Food arrives in Hong Kong-style dim sum carts with gourmet nibbles like pulled pork with Napa cabbage or braised short ribs with blue cheese. An elaborate tea program occurs every day at 3 p.m. Odysea Lounge, San Diego Bayfront Hilton, 1 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101, 619-564-3333.   $10 Stimulus Package at The Linkery Sunday through Thursday, North Park’s low-fi hip spot, The Linkery, is offering a great deal. Clientele seated at the bar can savor two house-made sausage or portobello mushroom tacos in homemade tortillas, with a craft lager, jar o' wine or sparkling water for a mere $10. You must reference the “stimulus package” to get get the discount. The Linkery, 3974 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92104, 619- 255-8778.   Chef Shuffle Rice welcomes new executive chef Rocío Varela to its kitchen at the W San Diego. Varela was previously featured on the BRAVO series “Welcome to the Parker.” Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she brings a fusion cuisine to Rice, melding her love for Latin, French and Asian flavors. Her new menus will launch throughout April, and will showcase exciting flavor profiles like braised pork tenderloin with curry ginger and blood orange oil and plantains au gratin. Rice, W San Diego, 421 West B St., San Diego, CA 92101, 619-398-3100.   La Costa Resort and Spa welcomes Gina Rodriguez as chef de cuisine of its signature BlueFire Grill. A Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, Rodriquez hails from the renowned Ventana Room at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ. At La Costa, she’s presenting a New American menu, melding classical French technique with Spanish, Italian and Mediterranean influences. Buzz is already generating about her scallop- and lobster-filled roasted piquillo pepper. BlueFire Grill, La Costa Resort, 2100 Costa Del Mar Rd., Carlsbad, CA 92009, 760-438-9111.   Closings CLOSED FOR GOOD Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for San Diego to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from the past. Mr. Tiki Mai Tai Lounge, R.I.P. Aubergine, the upscale nightclub, sushi bar and lounge on 4th Avenue, has closed for renovations. No date has been announced for when it will re-open. Aubergine, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego, CA 92101, no phone.   CULINARY EVENTS Want to learn to cook? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area. View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in San Diego

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